Let's Talk About You and Me
by Aqueendia
Summary: DonaldxStacie one-shots that are all sort of connected. R&R?
1. Her Visit

**Let's Talk About You and Me**

This was a stupid idea. Aubrey would kill her if she found out what Stacie was about to do. Although Aubrey had never exactly forbidden talking to them; it was only hooking up that would get her kicked out of the Bellas. Then again, how would Aubrey even find out? It wasn't like Stacie was going to tell anyone about tonight. Whatever was about to happen would stay between the two of them, she hoped.

When Stacie reached the door she had been looking for, she paused. What if she had imagined the whole thing? The tension between them at the riff-off had seemed so strong; it was hard to believe that she was the only one who felt it. She had felt drawn to him like to a magnet, as corny as the phrase was. Could she have imagined the rest of it, too? Had he really been singing _at_ her, and not to her like she originally thought? Their eyes had been locked together before Aubrey pulled her away, and again when Stacie cut him off. She imagined that she could still feel her hand tingling from the brief second she had pressed it against his chest and the disappointment when he had backed off. She had a strong memory of his warm brown eyes gazing at her, a smirk on his face, before Jesse had interrupted.

While everyone had been paying attention to Jesse, Stacie's eyes had been focused on his again. He was grinning, his eyes bright with triumph behind his glasses as he followed Jesse's lead. Briefly, he looked at Stacie again, flashing a taunting smile in her direction. She couldn't be sure what look had come over her face, but it had caused his smile to turn into a grin. For the second time, it seemed as though he was singing to her. Everyone could see that Jesse was attempting to serenade Beca, but this was different, more subtle.

The disappointment that Stacie felt when the Treblemakers won was cut short when she took the chance to look at him again. He was staring in her direction, too. She felt both shocked and elated when he winked at her. He held her gaze just long enough to see the smile that spread across her face and then turned away to join the Treblemakers in their celebration. Stacie turned back to her own friends with difficulty, but she no longer felt bad about losing. Instead, she felt dazed and excited.

Cynthia Rose noticed Stacie's expression and asked, "What's up?"

"Nothing," Stacie said, correcting her features to look upset. "I just remembered a funny joke I heard earlier," she added lamely.

It seemed like forever before the Bellas split up and went back to their dorm rooms. Stacie returned to hers quickly and collapsed on her bed. As usual, her roommate was out. It was as if Stacie was the only one that lived there for as often as she saw the other girl. Lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling, Stacie had only one thing on her mind: Donald. She wondered where he was, what he was doing, and if he was as stuck on her as she seemed to be on him.

The decision to go find him took Stacie all of fifteen minutes. It was stupid and probably against Aubrey's rules, but she couldn't resist. She needed to find out if she was crazy for thinking Donald might like her. The Trebles seemed to hate the Bellas as much as the Bellas were supposed to hate them. Ignoring this thought, Stacie quickly fixed her hair and left her room.

She knew where Donald's dorm was, as she had seen him entering and leaving it on several occasions. The fact that every door had a board with the residents' names on it was helpful, and Stacie suddenly found herself facing the door she had been looking for.

Taking a deep breath, Stacie knocked lightly on the door. For an excruciatingly long thirty seconds, she waited with a pounding heart. Then the door opened and he was there. Stacie couldn't help noting how attractive he looked in a fitted white t-shirt and blue flannel pajama pants.

Donald only looked surprised for half a second, a look that was quickly replaced by another smirk. He seemed to do that a lot when he was looking at her. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Stacie hadn't planned on what to say to Donald when she saw him, and had to think quickly. "'Let's talk about you and me'?" she quoted.

Donald grinned, washing away any nerves Stacie had. He stepped aside and gestured for her to come in. In one glance, Stacie could see that Donald lived alone. He didn't have a roommate like all the freshmen were required to. He closed the door behind them and turned to face her. Stacie realized that neither one of them were entirely sure how to proceed. She decided to take yet another risk.

"You like me," she accused.

"I might," he said, making it sound like a challenge. They moved closer automatically, without really thinking. The magnetic attraction was stronger now that she was alone with him.

Donald lifted a hand and caressed her cheek lightly, brushing strands of hair out of her face. Unable to resist, Stacie pressed her lips against his. He grabbed her and held her against him, kissing her back eagerly. Stacie smiled through the kiss, joy flooding through her. Something about this felt different from any other late night visit she'd experienced.

Except for the strong hands on her waist and the lips that trailed up her neck and back to her mouth, he wasn't touching her. It was strange and different from how she was usually treated at this point, but Stacie found that she didn't mind. Her arms snaked around his neck, one hand tangled in his hair. She noticed that he smelled like a combination of spices that she couldn't name, and she liked it.

"Aren't you going to get in trouble for this?" Donald teased, kissing her neck again.

"Aubrey doesn't run my life," Stacie answered, sliding her hands up under his shirt. He lifted his head to press his lips to hers and she lost her train of thought. A few minutes later, she added, "But this stays between us."

"Got it," Donald said quickly, and anything else they might have said was forgotten when Stacie pulled him over to the bed.

**A/N: In all honestly, I wasn't really sure if I should end it there, but I didn't want to drag it out and ruin it. Besides, this is just the beginning. I'm not planning on making this a full-length chapter story, but I am planning on adding to it with drabbles and one-shots. Let me know what you think?**


	2. His Shirt

**His Shirt**

Stacie woke up feeling warm and comfortable with Donald's arms around her. He seemed to be asleep still, but when she shifted slightly he pulled his arms away and sat up. Stacie took a moment to admire his chest before he got out of bed. "You should get dressed," he told Stacie.

"Why?" Stacie asked, stretching out. "I'm comfortable like this."

"I've got rehearsal," Donald said, sounding just a little regretful. "And so do you."

"Oh crap," Stacie sighed. She wasn't in the mood for Bellas rehearsal today, but it wasn't like she had anything better to do. She doubted she'd have spent all day with Donald even if they didn't have rehearsal. She threw the covers back and got up, noticing that she was wearing one of Donald's t-shirts. She vaguely remembered putting it on before falling asleep, but it was a faint memory. Others things that had happened last night were far more dominant in her mind.

Donald didn't look while she got dressed, pulling on the same clothes she had worn the day before, but she couldn't help peeking at him. He had a toned, muscular body that wasn't really noticeable when he was wearing clothes. She wanted nothing more than to stop him and go back to bed, but they had to get going. When he had finished getting dressed and put his glasses on, Stacie tossed his t-shirt at him. "Thanks," Stacie said when he caught it. "This was fun." She smiled in a way that she hoped was both sweet and alluring. "We should do this again."

He grinned, and Stacie's stomach did a flip – she was surprised at herself, because she never got flustered around boys. "Tonight," he said.

"Don't you do anything special on Saturdays?" Stacie asked teasingly.

"I think this is a good way to spend a Saturday night," Donald replied.

Stacie smiled again, and then sighed. "I need to go."

"See you tonight," Donald said as she walked out the door. Stacie paused long enough to wink at him before hurrying back to her own dorm, hoping no one would see her and notice she hadn't changed yet.

Her roommate, Paige, wasn't there; she practically lived in her boyfriend's dormroom. Relieved, Stacie changed quickly and ran to small auditorium that the Bellas practiced in. She barely made it in time, sliding into her seat just as Aubrey called their attention. She had trouble focusing on the choreography and was berated by Aubrey several times before rehearsal was over. When they were done, Stacie went through her normal routine, eating dinner with the other girls. For once, Beca joined them.

As Stacie was sitting down with her food, a plate of spaghetti and breadsticks, she saw the Trebles enter the dining hall. Jesse saw them first and waved to Beca, while Aubrey glared openly. Stacie spotted Donald with Bumper, but dropped her gaze before he could look her way. She didn't want Aubrey or any of the other girls to be suspicious of her like they were of Beca.

Finally, Stacie felt like she had stayed at the table long enough to not raise questions and she got up, took her plate to the washroom, and returned to her dorm. Paige was still not there, but there were signs that she had been to their room while Stacie was gone. Stacie spent the next two hours getting ready for her "date".

She knew that her hair and makeup would just be ruined, but she did them anyway, curling each strand of hair carefully. When she was finally done, it was only eight o'clock. Stacie wondered if it was too early to go, and decided that it was. She spent another hour trying and failing to get some of her homework done and then paced her room impatiently for a while. Finally, at nine-thirty, she gave up and left her room.

She walked quickly, partly because she was so eager to get there and partly because she didn't like walking across campus alone when it was dark. It was another ten minutes before she was standing outside Donald's room, and she knocked hesitantly.

His door swung open immediately, and he looked as impatient as Stacie felt. He kissed her before she even entered the room, pulling her inside and kicking the door shut behind them. He wasted no time in pushing her onto the bed, where they resumed the previous night's activities.

The next morning, Donald was awake again when she opened her eyes. She flipped over onto her other side so she could face him. His brown eyes seemed to be examining her, and he suddenly smiled. "What?" Stacie asked.

"Nothing," he answered, still looking amused. "I just never thought this would really happen. And you look good in my shirt," he added as an afterthought.

"So you wanted this to happen?" Stacie asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Ever since auditions," Donald told her.

"I knew you liked me," Stacie said triumphantly. "You couldn't keep your eyes off me at the riff-off."

"_You_ were staring at _me_," Donald corrected.

"Because I wanted to know why you sang to me. Twice," Stacie responded.

"Because you're beautiful," he said, his eyes suddenly serious.

Stacie felt her heart give a faint flutter when she met his gaze. Unsure of what to say, she compromised by moving closer and kissing him lightly.

When they finally got out of bed, Stacie felt disappointed. She had a whole day of homework ahead and her, and she would much rather be doing anything else. Anything that involved Donald, that is. When she was dressed, she kissed him goodbye, promised to return that evening, and left.

This time, she took his t-shirt with her.

**A/N: I think I may have dragged that out a little too much, but whatever. Let me know what you think in a review? Nothing makes me happier. Hint hint, nudge nudge. **

**I'll probably end up throwing in back stories for Stacie and Donald as I go, so that's something to look forward to. I'll try to update soon! Thanks for reading.**


	3. Her Ankle

**A/N: That awkward moment when you realize that you named Stacie's roommate after the actress that plays Stacie. I wasn't even thinking about it, I just threw a name in.  
EDIT: I changed her name to Paige. Just so no one gets confused.**

**Anyways, thanks so much for the reviews, I love it! Keep them coming!**

* * *

**Her Ankle**

"Ouch!" Stacie winced, trying not to move while Donald wrapped an ace bandage around her ankle. She had twisted her ankle climbing the stairs to his floor while wearing her Bellas heels, which she hadn't bothered to change on her way from rehearsal to his room. Donald tried not to laugh as he clipped the bandage together with small metal hooks, but Stacie could tell he was amused. She glared at him, her arms crossed. "It's not funny," she insisted.

"No, but you are," Donald answered, straightening up. Stacie looked so annoyed and so cute that he couldn't help it. He sat down next to her on the bed and put his arms around her, giving her a kiss that ended up lasting longer than he had originally planned. When he finally pulled away from her, he asked, "Do you still want to watch a movie?"

"Yes," Stacie answered. She shifted on his bed and lifted her leg carefully to put her injured ankle on one of Donald's pillows. Donald grabbed his laptop and a stack of movies and got comfortable beside her.

"What do you want to watch?" he asked, holding out the movies so she could look through them.

"You pick," Stacie said, folding her arms across her chest again.

"Okay," Donald said, putting in the first one he grabbed.

"Batman?" Stacie asked, finally cracking a smile.

"Hey, it's a good movie," Donald answered, nudging her.

"If you say so."

Donald put his arm around her again, and she leaned her head against his chest. It had been barely two weeks since the Riff-Off, but they had spent almost every night together since. Donald should have felt smothered by now, but he didn't. He figured Stacie should have been done with him by now, but she wasn't. The fact that most of their relationships consisted of one-night stands was something that the two of them had in common. This particular one-night stand, however, had developed into something else.

Stacie let out a sigh, bringing Donald back to earth. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"My ankle hurts," she grumbled.

"Do you want some aspirin?"

"Nah," Stacie said. "I'll suck it up. But seriously, what the hell is going on in this movie?"

"If you paid attention, you'd understand," he teased.

"Unlikely."

"Why not?"

Stacie sat up and gave him a pointed look. "Do I really need to spell it out?" She tried to stretch up to kiss him, but the pain in her ankle prevented her from succeeding. Donald leaned down to help her out. Not much more than a simple kiss was possible because of Stacie's ankle, but he would take what he could get. This time, Stacie was the one that broke the kiss and she sighed. "Let's just watch the movie."

Stacie still looked upset about her ankle, so Donald tried to cheer her up by imitating Batman's annoying, raspy voice. It might not have cured her mood, but it at least got her to laugh. When the movie was over, he put his laptop on his desk and changed into a pair of black pajama pants. He tossed his shirt to Stacie, who struggled to sit up. She tossed her own skin-tight shirt to the floor, along with her shorts and bra, and pulled Donald's warm, grey t-shirt over her head. She pulled her hair out of the collar and fell back onto the pillows again.

Donald pulled the blankets over her and turned out the light before crawling in beside her. They faced each other, and Donald slipped his arms around her waist. "What are you thinking about?" Stacie asked.

"You." He could see the faint glow of a smile, and Stacie rested her head against his chest again. "How beautiful you are."

"Shut up," Stacie laughed, her voice muffled.

"I mean it," Donald said, and he did. "What about you?"

"Regionals," Stacie said after a few seconds.

"Scared we're gonna beat you?" Donald said tauntingly.

"As if," Stacie answered. "I just hope my ankle is better by then."

"It will be," Donald assured it, "It's not a bad sprain." He paused for a moment, and then asked, "What set are you doing this year?"

Stacie hesitated, then decided that there was no reason she shouldn't tell him; it wasn't as if the Trebles would steal their set. "You can't tell anyone," Stacie warned, "Or I'll have to kill you."

"Got it."

"Aubrey's making us do the same set they did at the ICCAs last year," Stacie said.

"Seriously?" Donald asked, surprised. "Why would Aubrey want to relive _that_?"

Stacie shrugged, her shoulders bumping against his chest. "It's boring," she complained. "Beca's right, we're not going to win with it."

"You're not," Donald agreed. "Beca clearly knows better than Aubrey."

"It's lucky we have Beca around," Stacie said.

"Why?"

"Aubrey's so caught up in making sure Beca isn't seeing Jesse behind her back, no one's paying any attention to me."

"Oh, right. You're not allowed to see me," Donald snorted.

"I think Aubrey might kick me out just for talking to you, honestly," Stacie said. "It's so stupid. But you already got one girl kicked out."

"What?" Donald asked, confused.

"Kori?" Stacie clarified. "The girl you met at the 'initiation' party?"

"Oh, her."

"Yeah." There was silence, and then, "So you did sleep with her?"

It was his turn to be silent. He tried to gauge what her reaction might be, but couldn't. Finally, he said, "Yes."

Stacie laughed, as if she could tell that he was afraid of how she would respond. Her laugh was adorable. "You can do whatever you want," she informed him. "It's not like we're dating."

There was a slightly awkward moment as they both wondered what exactly they were, but Stacie seemed to be more interested in moving the conversation forward. "Would you tell me something?"

"What?"

"Tell me about you. Anything," she whispered, shifting closer. She moved her head from his chest to the pillow so she could see him in the faint moonlight that slanted through his window.

"Like what?"

Stacie searched her mind for something, and said the first thing that she thought of. "Where do you live?"

"A few hours from here," he said, "In Savannah."

"Really?" Stacie asked, surprised. "Didn't you want to get away?"

"I figured this was good enough. My parents aren't going to want to drive four hours to see me every weekend, so I'm as safe here as I would be in California."

"I'm from Florida," Stacie said. "Tallahassee."

"Do you have any siblings?"

"Nope," Stacie said. "I'm an only child. What about you?"

"I've got three little sisters," Donald said. "They're the most annoying creatures on the face of the planet."

"But you love them," Stacie said with confidence.

"Yeah, I guess I do," Donald said.

"How old are they?"

"Nineteen, fifteen, and twelve."

"Does your sister go to school here?" Stacie asked.

"No," Donald answered. "Good thing she doesn't, or my parents would be calling me all the time. 'What is your sister doing? Are you watching her? Make sure she doesn't get into trouble.'"

"Did they do that a lot before you left?"

"All the time," Donald groaned. "I could hardly do anything."

"Ah, the joys of being an only child," Stacie teased. "I never had to watch out for anyone but myself."

"That sounds kind of lonely."

"It wasn't. I had a ton of friends, so I never needed siblings."

"Little Miss Popularity," Donald joked. "Let me guess, you were Homecoming Queen?"

"No, I was not Homecoming Queen," Stacie huffed. "… But I was Prom Queen."

"Of course you were," Donald laughed.

"What's so bad about being Prom Queen?" Stacie demanded.

"Nothing," Donald answered. "It's just typical."

Stacie ignored this and asked her next question. "How many girlfriends did you have in high school?"

"Just one," Donald said. Guessing what Stacie's next question would be, he added, "Her name is Kara, I haven't talked to her since the end of our Junior year when she moved, and she's not as pretty as you."

Stacie couldn't help smiling. "That's nice to know," she said, and Donald could hear the satisfaction in her voice.

"Your turn," Donald said, poking her.

"Four," Stacie said reluctantly.

"Was the last one your Prom King?"

Stacie glared at him. "Yes."

Donald snickered.

"Why is that so funny?" Stacie demanded.

"Sorry, I just think that stuff is dumb. I didn't even go to my prom."

"You didn't go to prom?!"

"Nope."

"Couldn't get a date?"

"Didn't want one."

"Everyone wants to go to prom!"

"Not me."

Stacie shook her head in disbelief, but didn't say anything else. When she had been quiet for almost five minutes, Donald asked, "No more questions?"

"Oh, I have more questions," Stacie said. "Just not tonight."

She moved as close to him as she could and kissed him. He held her tightly, but didn't move; he didn't want to hurt her ankle. Despite this, she fell back onto the pillow with a hiss. "Go to sleep," Donald told her. "It'll feel better in the morning."

"It better," Stacie said darkly, carefully snuggling against his chest. She fell asleep quickly, leaving Donald alone with his thoughts. He rested his cheek against the top of her head, the scent of her shampoo taking over his senses. It smelled strongly of apples, a fruit he knew he would associate with her from now on.

The last thing he thought before he finally fell asleep was that he hoped her ankle was better the next day.

* * *

**A/N:** **I attempted to make this one longer, but it's still pretty short. Sorry about that! I also decided to go ahead and try Donald's POV. I thought it came out pretty good, but let me know how you feel about it! Please leave me a review? I'll try to update again soon!**

**Also, if you want, follow me (stonald) on Tumblr.**


	4. His Secret

**His Secret**

It was raining out, but the pounding of the fat drops on the roof was impossible to hear over the Treblemakers' rehearsal. Bumper Allen walked down the line of Trebles, much like a drill sergeant, examining the face of each Treblemaker. "Boys," he said finally, spinning around to face them all, "I think we're ready for regionals."

The response was explosive as the Trebles celebrated. Bumper had been strict for the past week, making them do their number until they could each do their part in their sleep. He was more obsessed with winning this year than he ever had been before. Donald thought he knew the reason why Bumper was suddenly possessed with this maniac energy, but he hadn't yet tested his theory.

"To celebrate, I vote we go out for pizza!" Bumper shouted.

Donald grimaced. It was already eight o'clock, and now it seemed like he was never going to get away from the other Trebles.

"You're in, right?" Bumper asked as the other guys jumped around excitedly.

"Totally," Donald said, groaning inwardly. He was going to have to spend the next few hours acting like he was pumped for regionals and not like he wanted to be somewhere else.

As part of the celebration, the guys all put on their Treble jackets and headed out to a local pizza place where they ate their way through seven pizzas and drank their body weight in soda. Even when they were finished eating, they sat around the table discussing regionals, which where that Friday.

"Saturday night, we're going to have a celebration party," Bumper announced.

"To celebrate what?" one of the Trebles asked.

"Our win," Bumper said, as if it should have been obvious. It actually _was_ obvious, to most of the other Trebles. They were so used to winning every competition they went to that they no longer doubted it. Bumper often threw celebration parties, planning them before the competition to show everyone that they were ready to win. No one challenged Bumper by saying that they hadn't won yet, because they all knew better than to argue with him.

Around ten-thirty, as the pizza place was closing, Bumper finally brought the night to an end. "Everyone get to bed and rest up. We have rehearsal at eight and again at six, got it?"

The group made noises of acknowledgement before breaking apart and heading back to campus in smaller groups. Donald drove back to campus with Bumper and two other senior Trebles. "We're going to crush the Bellas," Bumper said, several times in different ways on the way back to campus. It was repetitive and annoying, but Donald appreciated the fact that it required very little response from him.

Finally, around eleven, Donald was climbing the stairs to his room, alone. He put his key in the lock and entered the room. A lamp in the corner was on, but otherwise the room was dark. Asleep in his bed was exactly what he had been looking forward to all night: Stacie. They were seeing each other more and more now, between classes and rehearsals as well as in the evenings. He had been expecting her to be there waiting, but it pleased him to know that she was actually there.

Donald closed the door quietly and crept around his room carefully, switching his jeans for pajamas and tossing his shirt and jacket on the floor. He decided to let Stacie sleep for a while longer, and managed to slip under the blankets without waking her up. He lay in bed beside her, his arms behind his head, listening to the sounds of the storm. There was a loud crack of thunder, and Stacie woke with a start. "Donald?" she asked sleepily, flipping over to face him.

"Hey," he said, rubbing her arm gently.

"Oh gosh, I fell asleep," Stacie said in realization.

"It's alright," Donald assured her. "Aubrey's working you like a cart horse. You deserve some sleep."

"I don't want to sleep," Stacie replied, frowning.

Donald smiled. "I was hoping you would say that."

The words had barely left his mouth when there was another clap of thunder, and the room went dark. "What just happened?" Stacie asked.

"The storm must have knocked the power out," Donald said, throwing the blankets back and standing up. He went over to his door and opened it to see that the hallway was also pitch black. He could barely see his hand in front of his face because it was so dark.

"Lucky for you," Stacie said, springing up from the bed, "I came prepared."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I thought about trying to do something romantic," she began, sounding embarrassed, "But I decided it was stupid and didn't, and then I ended up falling asleep anyways."

There was a rustling noise, and Stacie was putting something on his desk. A few seconds later, light flared from a match and she lit what he could now see was a candle. She did this a few times, lighting four large candles. When she was done, she spread the candles around the room to give them a little light.

"Impressive," Donald said, nodding. "What would we do without your packing skills?"

Stacie laughed. "I also brought these," she said, holding up two bottles of beer. She tossed one to Donald and went back to sit on his bed. "So now what?"

Donald was about to answer when his cell phone rang. He picked it up and answered without really thinking about it. "Hey, man." It was Bumper.

"Hey, Bump. What's up?"

Stacie looked up curiously, leaning over so she could hear what Bumper was saying. Donald didn't mind, but tried to ignore her so he didn't get distracted while he was talking to Bumper.

"Dude, the girls are terrified. I don't get why they freak out when the power goes out, but this is the perfect time to go pick up chicks. They'll go for anyone who tries to comfort them." He sounded extremely proud of his brilliant idea. If Donald didn't have Stacie, he might have admitted that it was kind of a good one.

Stacie made a face. "I can't man," Donald said, trying not to sound too suspicious.

"Why not?" Bumper demanded.

"I just can't right now."

"You have a girl there, don't you?" Bumper asked, sounding just a little impressed.

"Goodbye, Bumper," Donald said, hanging up with a grin. He threw it into a chair in the corner of the room.

"What if he finds out it's me?" Stacie asked as soon as Donald hung up, sounding worried. If anyone found out that she and Donald had spending so much time together, she was going to get kicked out of the Bellas. If anyone knew about it, Aubrey would know for sure.

"He won't," Donald promised.

"How do you know?" Stacie was becoming distressed.

"I won't tell him," Donald said simply. "I have plenty of secrets that Bumper doesn't know about."

"If he finds out, we'll have to kill him."

"I can handle that," Donald smiled, kissing her.

"I really hope he stays out of it," Stacie sighed. "I don't want anything to ruin this."

"_I'll keep you my dirty little secret_," he sang on a whim.

Stacie finally smiled. She took Donald's unopened bottle of beer and put it down on the floor with her own. "Come here," she said, pulling him towards her as she sat down again. She kissed him forcefully, tasting of beer and strawberry lip gloss. Donald pushed her down against the pillows and returned the favor. She put her hands under his shirt and slid them up his back, her skin searing him like ice.

Donald moaned. No one should be allowed to be so amazing, the way Stacie was. He couldn't resist her if he tried. Stacie smiled while she kissed him, amused, so he moved away from her mouth and pressed his lips against her throat. "Hey," she laughed, pushing him with almost no force. "If you give me a hickey, everyone's going to start asking questions."

Her comment was ignored, but Donald didn't think she really cared. If she did, she'd have tried to force him away for real. Donald kissed her along her neck, up her jaw bone, and to her ear, which he gently pulled on with her teeth. Stacie shivered and dragged his mouth back to hers, pressing herself as close to him as she could. "This is way better than spending a night out with Bumper," he whispered.

"I'm glad," Stacie replied before kissing him again, effectively ending the conversation.

Later, as they lay together before going to sleep, Stacie took his hand and asked, "So what exactly are those secrets you're keeping from Bumper?"

"My favorite movie is The Lion King."

"Why is that a secret?"

"Are you kidding? I'm a senior in college. Why would I admit that to anyone? Besides, Bumper hates Disney."

"What is wrong with him?"

"A lot of things."

Stacie laughed. "What else?"

"I don't hate the Bellas. I just go along with it to keep him happy," Donald said.

"That's good to know," Stacie said, kissing him gently. She yawned sleepily. "What else?"

"I'll tell you more tomorrow," Donald promised. "Go to sleep, you're tired."

"Okay," Stacie agreed, closing her eyes. She smiled slightly as Donald put his arms around her, pulling her close.

"I'll tell you one more thing, though."

"What?" Stacie asked without opening her eyes.

"You're the best secret I have."

**A/N: Sorry that took so long to update, I went back to school today. On the bright side, the office messed the schedule up so we watched Pitch Perfect in my Economics class instead of working. It was great.**

**Anyways, drop me a review? I really love them! Thanks to everyone who's been reading my stories, you're all fantastic! Keep reading, and keep reviewing. **


	5. Her Lie

**Her Lie**

English 101 had to be the most boring class Stacie had ever taken. Her teacher hardly taught at all, but droned on at them for an hour straight. If she could have dropped it, she would have. She hardly showed up for class as it was, although that had more to do with the fact that Donald didn't have a class this hour than anything else. She had no idea how she was going to pass her final, but she didn't really care. She was never going to need to know what syntax was after she got out of this class. She wasn't going to need half the classes that freshman at BU were forced to take.

Stacie had just decided to have Chinese food in her room when the teacher dismissed them. She didn't really feel like eating with the Bellas that day, though she couldn't explain why. She slid her laptop into her bag and stood up, saying goodbye to a girl that she only ever talked to when they sat next to each other in class. She went across campus to a small food court, where she ordered herself fried rice and mu shu pork.

She was on her way back to her room when she spotted a large group of Trebles. She immediately searched them to see if Donald was with them. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw that he was, and she willed him to look in her direction. He did turn his gaze on her, but only after she saw Bumper nudge him and point in her direction. The whole group of Trebles started walking in her direction.

"Oh crap," Stacie muttered. She wasn't in the mood to be verbally abused by Bumper, and she'd never had to deal with it by herself before. Usually Bumper only approached and harassed them when Aubrey was around. Stacie got the feeling that Bumper really enjoyed the way Aubrey's eye twitched when he was around.

Stacie tried to avoid them, but before she knew it the Trebles were in a semi-circle around her with Bumper a mere two feet away. "Well, well, well," he said, folding his arms across his chest. "Look what we have here, boys. A Bella out all on her own."

"What do you want, Bumper?" Stacie asked, putting her free hand on her hip.

"We just came over to see if you ladies are prepared for regionals tomorrow night," Bumper said innocently. "Ready to lose, I mean."

"Bumper, why don't you go do something useful, like learn how to sing?"

"Hah. Haha," Bumper said sarcastically. "You're so funny."

"Seriously, get the hell out of my way, Bumper," Stacie said.

"Sure," Bumper said, giving Stacie a slightly evil smile. He moved aside, giving Stacie a path to escape. She walked quickly past them, suspicious of what Bumper might do. He didn't do anything, but Stacie wouldn't put it past him to trip her or something.

"Good luck tomorrow night!" Bumper called after her.

Stacie rolled her eyes. She wished someone could show Bumper that he was nowhere near as cool as he thought he was. No one even really liked him; they just pretended to like him. His obnoxious personality was too much for anyone to handle. Every time Stacie saw him, she just wanted to push him in front of a car. A slowly moving car, that would only do enough damage to put him in a full body cast for six months, but a car nonetheless.

Stacie was almost back to her dorm when someone grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the shadows between buildings. She knew immediately that it was Donald. She believed that she could tell Donald's touch anywhere, and she was right. He whirled her around and kissed her, taking her bag of Chinese food and putting it on the ground so Stacie was free to use her hands.

"Sorry about Bumper," he whispered, kissing her neck.

"I can handle Bumper," Stacie answered. She waited for a few seconds before adding, "We can't do this, someone is going to see us."

Donald sighed in frustration, but pulled away. "Sorry. You're right."

"I usually am," Stacie smiled. "Look, I have to go do my math homework and eat my Chinese food while it's still hot. I'll see you tonight, though."

"Have fun doing your math homework."

"As if," Stacie said. She gave Donald a swift kiss, grabbed her food, and headed upstairs to her room.

* * *

"Hurry!" Aubrey shouted. "We're late!"

Stacie ran as fast as she could in her heels, following Beca and Cynthia Rose. The rest of the Bellas were behind them, their heels clopping against the ground as they ran. When they entered the auditorium, they slowed to a stop behind the audience. Stacie was too distracted by the a capella group on stage to notice the Trebles on the other side of the room.

"A capella out of sock puppets?" Amy asked. "Genius."

Stacie held back a laugh. The singers on stage looked ridiculous, singing with socks on their hands. The song they were singing was ridiculous too, but she didn't really have room to talk. She hated the set that Aubrey was making them do. As the Sockapellas stopped singing, she remembered the Trebles and turned to look for Donald. He was easy to spot, but he wasn't looking her way. She hardly had a chance to look at him before the announcer called for the Barden Bellas.

Stacie climbed onto the stage with the others and prepared to sing. Despite the boring set, it was actually kind of fun to perform. She liked having everyone watch her, especially Donald. When she was good at something, she wanted everyone to know about it and that included her singing. She even took a chance and winked at Donald. Or, in his general direction. No one was going to know who it was for but him. Aubrey would never be able to figure it out, even if she noticed.

At least when they were finished, the audience clapped. The Trebles didn't, but that wasn't surprising. Bumper hated them; there was no way he would let his group clap for them. Stacie was surprised to see Jesse clapping, and even more surprised that Bumper didn't tell him to stop. Donald had his arms crossed and looked unimpressed, but Stacie knew it was just an act. He caught her eye and returned her gesture, winking. Luckily, no one else noticed.

The Trebles' performance was even more amazing than Stacie was expecting. She hadn't thought that anything could make Donald more attractive, but she'd never seen him perform before. This was definitely something to add to list of things she liked about him.

It wasn't a shock to anyone when the Trebles placed first and that the Bellas came in second. Stacie wasn't too upset about it. They were still going to the semi-finals, which should keep Aubrey happy until they arrived.

Aubrey held them back to tell them that she was disappointed they let the Trebles beat them, but she didn't talk for very long. Stacie led the way out of the auditorium, heading in the direction the Trebles had gone so they could head back to campus. As they entered a large room, she started down the stairs only to stop when she heard people shouting about a fight. The rest of the Bellas stopped behind her, and they watched as a fight between the Trebles and a small group called the Tonehangers got started.

"I'm just going to go check on them," Beca said, obviously meaning Jesse. She hurried over to where Jesse was being yelled at by a short, strange looking guy. Amy followed close behind her, eager to join the fight.

Stacie hardly noticed either of them. Her gaze was frozen on the spot where Donald was wrestling with another guy. Neither one of them seemed to be hitting each other, but she couldn't turn away until she heard glass shattering. She jumped slightly at the noise, and turned to see Beca staring at a broken window while Amy fled the scene. Everyone else hurried to get out of the room, and Stacie followed quickly behind Lilly and Cynthia Rose.

* * *

The next few hours were agony for Stacie. She drove back to campus with the other girls, where Aubrey decided they would go and wait for Beca in her room. They sat around in her chairs, on her bed, and on the floor, chattering about nothing while Kimmy Jin glared at them from her side of the room. Stacie tried to pretend like she was interested in what Jessica and Ashley were saying, but she really wasn't. She didn't want to be there, she wanted to go to Donald's room and make sure he was okay.

Finally, around eleven, Beca returned. Stacie totally zoned out while they were all talking, only coming back to the conversation when Aubrey started arguing with Beca and Chloe about the set. She wanted to tell Aubrey that she agreed with Beca, too, but she didn't want to end up on Aubrey's bad side. The fight ended abruptly when Aubrey said, "Okay, rehearsal tomorrow. Eight am, sharp."

Aubrey stormed out of the room, and the rest of them began to leave. Determined not to look eager, Stacie waited until three of the other girls had left before she said goodbye to Beca and the others. As soon as she was alone she ran to Donald's room, partly because she wanted to make sure he was okay and partly because she didn't want to be alone in the dark.

Stacie didn't bother knocking, but tried the knob. It was open, like it always was. They had been past the point of knocking for weeks; it was just easier for Donald to leave the door unlocked. Stacie spent nearly as much time in his room as he did.

Donald was lounging on his bed, reading, when Stacie came in. He looked up and grinned when he saw her, marking his place before tossing the book aside. "Hey," he said, sitting up. "I've been waiting for hours."

"Sorry," Stacie said, "Aubrey made us all sit around and wait for Beca."

"What happened?" Donald asked.

"She got arrested," Stacie said. "But I think everything is okay."

"Good," Donald said, getting up. He closed the distance between them and put his hands on either side of her face to kiss her gently.

"Are you okay?" Stacie whispered. She put her arms around his neck and buried her face against his chest. She was being absolutely ridiculous, but she had been worried about him for hours.

"I'm fine," Donald laughed. "I didn't even get hit."

"Good," Stacie said, her voice muffled. Donald kissed the top of her head and hugged her. This simple gesture gave Stacie a warm feeling in her chest, one she wasn't sure she had ever felt before. It seemed as though things between her and Donald had changed quickly, and their relationship was much more than physical now. She really liked him, but she was afraid to admit it. It seemed as though he felt the same way, but what if he didn't? "I'm glad you're okay."

"Were you that worried?"

"No," Stacie lied.

"You know what I think?" Donald asked, leaning down to whisper in her ear.

"What?"

"You're a liar."

"I'm not lying," Stacie said, but her voice gave her away. She wasn't very good at lying, which was why it was lucky that none of the Bellas were suspicious of her yet. She figured she would give herself away pretty quickly.

Donald just laughed. "Come on, let's go to bed."

**A/N: I know there wasn't a lot of romantic stuff in this chapter, but I really like it anyways. Let me know how you feel about it? I promise that the next chapter will have more fluff.**


	6. His Girlfriend

**His Girlfriend**

Donald knew why Stacie didn't like having him stay over in her room. If her roommate came back and saw him, everything would be ruined. Neither of them was sure that her roommate would even care, but she would be sure to tell people about it. The Trebles were weirdly popular around Barden, so everyone recognized Donald. It made Stacie nervous to spend the night with Donald in her room, but Donald liked the change once in a while. Stacie did cute things when she was in the comfort of her own room.

Tonight, when Stacie opened the door to let him in (she always kept her door locked), he saw that Stacie had built a blanket fort in the space between her and her roommate's beds. "Did you spend your whole day doing this?" Donald laughed.

"Not the whole day," Stacie answered. "I have a life, you know."

"Was there a point to it?" Donald asked.

"It's comfortable?" Stacie said, making her answer sound more like a question. "It's warm in there. I've been watching America's Next Top Model for two hours."

"So we're staying in your fort tonight?"

Stacie looked confused. "Don't you have your celebration party tonight?"

"Aren't you coming?"

Stacie shrugged and went to sit on her bed, which was completely bare except for the sheet. "Won't it look bad if I'm there?"

"Well Bumper _did_ invite you," Donald pointed out.

Stacie rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to your party alone."

"So get Beca to go with you," Donald suggested. He really wanted Stacie to be there, even if they wouldn't actually be able to talk to each other. It could have been that he didn't want to go out while she sat around in her room, but it was mostly the fact that he knew if she didn't go, he wouldn't end up going either.

Stacie shook her head. "There's no way Beca would be caught dead at a party."

"Please come," Donald said, grabbing her hands and pulling her up off the bed. He kissed her, hoping to change her mind. Tonight, her lip gloss was mango flavored. He tried not to let this distract him, but Stacie was good at making him lose his train of thought. She had her hands in his hair, and for once she didn't put up a fight when he slid his tongue into her mouth. She was being too nice.

"Or we could just stay here," Stacie whispered, pulling away just slightly. She had a mischievous look in her eyes, a shade of blue that had recently become Donald's favorite color.

"I have to go," Donald sighed. He kissed her again, lightly, before disentangling himself from her arms. "Why don't you want to come?"

"Because I'm really not interested in watching girls hit on you all night," Stacie said, crossing her arms.

"Stacie, I won't-"

"Yes you will," Stacie said, cutting him off. "You'll have to, if you don't want to make people suspicious. Most of the time, this whole 'secret lovers' thing is pretty fun, but tonight it sucks."

"Aha," Donald grinned. He finally understood Stacie's behavior, though he realized that after the way she had acted the night before, it should have been easy to figure out. "So you're jealous."

Stacie just glared at him, her arms still crossed. "I don't get jealous."

"That's too bad," Donald answered, "Because I think it's cute."

"Quit smiling. I'm not jealous," Stacie snapped.

"Sorry," Donald said, trying not to smile. "Just come to the party, Stace."

* * *

Donald was beginning to think that his success in convincing Stacie to come to the party was really a failure. She'd had nothing to worry about, as it turned out. Several girls had approached him, as Stacie had feared, but Donald was too busy watching her anxiously to pay them any attention. He didn't think there were any guys at the party that _hadn't_ tried to hit on her tonight. It seemed as though every time he blinked, she was talking to someone new.

"Dude, what is your problem?" Bumper asked as Donald turned away another girl.

"I'm just not really feeling it tonight," Donald answered. He stood up and grabbed his cup of beer. "I'm going to get some air, I'll be back."

Bumper shrugged and went back to scoping the room for girls.

Donald went out onto the back porch, which was completely deserted. It was freezing outside, but Donald didn't mind. It was easier for him to think out there, easier for him to realize that Stacie wasn't going to ditch him for another guy. He had no way to know this for sure, though. He and Stacie weren't dating, and suddenly he wondered if that was a mistake. The more he thought about it, the more he realized wanted to know that Stacie was his and his alone.

Donald had decided to give up on relationships in college. It would be more fun not to be stuck with one girl, he had thought. Obviously he was eating his words now, because the only girl he wanted was Stacie.

* * *

"This party is lame," Amy grumbled, folding her arms across her chest.

Stacie had to agree. She was so tired of having weird guys flirt with her. All she wanted was to go back to her room and cuddle with Donald until she fell asleep, or maybe watch a movie with him. She was up for pretty much anything that involved Donald holding her, and that didn't include the stupid party she was at. "Do you want to leave?"

"More than anything," Amy said. "I knew Bumper sucked at a lot of stuff, but I was hoping he would at least be good at throwing a party."

"Wishful thinking, I guess," Stacie laughed. She followed Amy, who led the way to the front door. Stacie wasn't entirely sure where they were, but she was pretty sure it was some frat house. How Bumper was able to use it she didn't know, but she wasn't sorry to leave. She walked Amy back to her dorm, which was closer to the party than her own room was, and thanked her for giving up her evening to keep Stacie company.

"Anytime, Stacie," Amy said sincerely. She and Stacie weren't as good of friends as Amy and Beca, but Stacie was glad she had Amy for times like this.

When Stacie got back to her own room, she put on her warmest, fuzziest pair of pajamas and got out her drawing pad. One of the things that she and Donald hadn't yet talked about was what they were majoring in. Stacie, who loved drawing, wanted to be an architect. She didn't tell very many people of her goals, because many of them gave her a look, a look that said there was no way a girl like her would ever become an architect. She wasn't quite ready to get that look from Donald.

Stacie wasn't sure how long she would have to wait before Donald left the party and came to find her, so she flipped her drawing pad open to her most recent project: yet another floor plan of her dream house. It was something she could work on for weeks and never finish, something she never got tired of working on. Without fail, she always started a new floor plan before she finished the old one, but her plans changed each time.

She had no idea how long she had been working on her plan when there was a light knock on her door. Stacie quickly flipped the drawing pad shut and leaped up to open the door. It was Donald, just like she had been hoping. He smiled at her when she opened the door, the kind of smile that made her stomach do flips and her knees go weak. It had been a long time since anyone had given her that feeling. What was it about this boy that was so different?

"Hey," Donald said, just like he always did. Tonight, he added something new. "I hope you're hungry, because I ordered pizza."

As far as Stacie could recall, the two of them had never actually shared a meal together. This seemed to be another milestone in their relationship, whatever their relationship was. Stacie usually made it a habit not to eat in front of guys she was planning on sleeping with, because she didn't want to ruin her chances. More often than not, if she could spill something on her shirt, it would happen. She got the feeling that she was going to end up staining her shirt with pizza sauce tonight.

"Starving, actually," Stacie said with a smile. She wasn't really concerned about spilling food on herself. Instead, she did what she had wanted to do all night. She crossed the room and wrapped her arms around Donald, pressing her cheek against his chest. To her amusement, she could hear his heartbeat speed up. She loved the idea that she made him feel the exact way she did.

She suggested watching a movie with their pizza, which Donald readily agreed to. Stacie was getting everything was set up when there was another knock on the door. Donald paid for the pizza and joined Stacie on her now-made bed. She had put in The Lion King. Donald glanced at her to see that she was smiling, proud to show Donald how well she knew him.

About ten minutes into the movie, Stacie gave a frustrated groan. "You have _got_ to be kidding me," she said. She had spilled pizza sauce on her shirt, just like she knew she would.

Donald handed her a napkin wordlessly, barely looking away from the movie to do so. Stacie appreciated the fact that he didn't laugh at her like most people would. When she finished the rest of her pizza and had wiped her shirt clean, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

Something about this gesture seemed to snap Donald out of movie-watching mode, and he turned to look at her. There was something serious about the way he was looking at her. "What?" Stacie asked, slightly startled.

"This might sound dumb," Donald said carefully. "I was thinking about you earlier, Stace, and I realized something."

"What?" Stacie repeated, not sure what kind of answer to expect.

"I want to be your boyfriend."

Stacie blinked, unable to do anything else. She never thought that Donald would say something like that; he hadn't ever seemed like the boyfriend type, though Stacie had wondered what it might be like if he was the boyfriend type. "Can you say that again?" she asked.

Donald looked nervous now. "I want to be your boyfriend," he said a second time.

"Really?" Stacie asked, a feeling of giddiness taking over.

"Of course," Donald said, noting the smile on her face.

"Okay then," Stacie said, moving her computer out of the way. "Be my boyfriend."

She grabbed his shirt and pulled him down on top of her. Stacie was in the mood for a little more than cuddling now.

**A/N: Okay, so it may not have been as fluffy as I promised it would be, but I hope you liked it. I'll do my best to make the next one more squee-worthy.  
So now it's time for the best part: telling me how you feel. Leave me a review? :D**


	7. Her Reaction

**Her Reaction**

Donald wanted to do something special. Lately, Stacie had been less than cheerful and she wouldn't say why. Donald thought he knew the reason behind her mood. Every time he brought up the semi-finals, she got a look on her face and fell silent. Finally, he decided to find out if he was right. "So," he began, adjusting his glasses, "the semi-finals are next week."

For once, Stacie had a different response. This time, his girlfriend groaned loudly. "I don't want to go to the semi-finals," Stacie complained. "We're just going to lose, what's the point in even going?"

"You're not seriously going to do the same set again, are you?" Donald snickered. Unfortunately for Stacie, the Bellas were stuck with a stubborn leader who wouldn't listen to anyone. She refused to create a set that people would actually enjoy, and it was really hurting their team. On the other hand, it was one less worry for the Trebles.

Stacie only grimaced.

Donald stopped laughing. "You're joking," he said, though Stacie hadn't uttered a word. "Aubrey is going to make you do it _again_?"

Stacie glared at the ground. "Shut up."

"Sorry," Donald said, reaching over to hug her. "I promise I'll only brag a little bit when we win."

"Shut up," Stacie repeated, pushing him away. This time, at least, she sounded amused.

"So what do you want to do tonight?" They were on the floor in Donald's room. Donald had been sitting quietly with his arm around Stacie's shoulders while she flipped through a magazine. For some reason, she insisted on being on the floor for this. Normally she spread out across the floor, resting her chin on her hands while she turned the pages slowly, but today she consented to sitting cross-legged with the magazine in her lap so she could also snuggle against Donald.

"I want ice cream," Stacie said vaguely, turning another page.

"Then let's go get some," Donald answered, standing up.

Stacie looked up at him like he was crazy. "You want us to go out in public?"

"Aren't you tired of sitting around in my room all the time?"

Stacie lowered her gaze. "No," she lied.

"Come on, Stacie. You used to go out all the time. Now you spend every night here," Donald said. He was more used to spending most nights in his room, reading or watching a movie, but Stacie was the kind of girl that went out and did something every night of the week.

"I don't mind," Stacie said honestly. "You're worth ruining my social life for."

"It's almost eleven," Donald said. "No one is going to be out but us."

Stacie thought for a moment, biting her lip. The idea of going out was tempting, Donald could tell. "Okay," she agreed, holding her hand out. Donald grabbed it and helped her to her feet. Stacie looked down at herself, holding her arms out. "I need to change first."

"What's wrong with what you're wearing?"

Stacie stared at him. "I don't go out in sweats," she said, as if it were obvious. She took her hair out of its bun and switched quickly from sweats to a pair of jeans. She had taken to leaving clothes in Donald's room so she didn't have to keep going back to her room every time she needed clothes. "Okay, I'm ready," she said a few minutes later.

They didn't really have a set plan for how to leave the room at the same time without anyone seeing, but Stacie left the room first and was waiting for him downstairs when he left the dorm a few minutes later. Donald had been right; the campus was mostly deserted. The conservative students were either studying or sleeping, but the more wild students had not yet left their parties. Donald felt confident enough to take Stacie's hand, and she didn't pull away. Instead, she moved closer so their arms brushed. "Sometimes," Stacie said, "I wish we could just tell everyone."

"You'll get kicked out," Donald reminded her.

Stacie rolled her eyes. "Like that matters. There's no way we're going to make it to the finals."

"You never know," Donald said, though he didn't even believe it himself.

"Trust me," Stacie said. "This is it for the Bellas."

They got into Donald's car, and twenty minutes later they were outside an ice cream parlor. "I can't believe you found an ice cream place that's open at eleven o'clock at night," Stacie said, sounding impressed.

"It's just one of my many skills," Donald told her, getting out of the car.

They went inside, where Stacie ordered a hot fudge sundae. Donald, who didn't want anything, went to sit down in one of the booths. Stacie joined him a few minutes later with a large sundae. "Do you want any?" she asked, holding out an extra spoon.

"Nah."

"Are you sure?" Stacie asked, waving the spoon at him.

"Alright," Donald said, snatching the spoon out of her hand. He scooped a large chunk of ice cream, fudge, and whipped cream and stuck it in his mouth.

"Hey!" Stacie laughed. "This is _mine_."

"You said I could have some," Donald said, taking another spoonful.

"I said you could have _some_," Stacie said, "Not all of it." She pulled her ice cream towards her, guarding it with her arms.

Donald leaned across the table, managing to get another spoonful of ice cream from her. Stacie smacked his hand, but he was successful in putting the spoon in his mouth without dropping any of the ice cream. "Alright," he said. "I'm done."

"Yeah, now that you've eaten half my sundae!" Stacie complained, looking down at her sundae and trying to look upset.

"I'm sorry," Donald smiled, leaning over the table to kiss her. Stacie met him halfway, pressing her lips softly against his. Tonight she tasted like chocolate sauce, instead of her usual fruity lip gloss.

What Donald hadn't known about Stacie was that giving her so much sugar made her giddy. He definitely hadn't expected her reaction to be that of a child's. "You're like a gremlin," he said as they got back into his car. "Don't feed Stacie after ten."

Stacie laughed. "So I don't eat a lot of ice cream. This body doesn't stay in shape on its own, you know."

When they got back to campus, Donald took Stacie's hand and pulled her toward his dorm. For Stacie, being hyped up on sugar was almost as bad as her being drunk. "Do you _ever_ eat sugar?" Donald asked.

"Not a lot, no. I played volleyball in high school, and my mom kept me on this really strict diet. I'm just used to it now, I guess. I eat a lot of vegetables."

"You play a sport?" Donald asked, amazed.

"Sure," Stacie said, smiling. "I can be super hot and sporty at the same time, you know. There's no law against it."

"You just got ten times more attractive," Donald informed her.

Stacie laughed again. "So that's why you're in such a hurry to get upstairs."

"Of course," Donald grinned. He stopped walking, grabbed Stacie's waist, and pulled her in for a kiss. Stacie allowed it for a minute, but then pushed him away.

"Not out here," Stacie said. "Come on, someone is going to see us out here."

"Sorry," Donald sighed. He and Stacie went inside and started up the stairs to his floor, their hands clasped carelessly as Donald tried to distract himself. He wanted nothing more than to grab Stacie and start kissing her again, but he knew it was a bad idea. He was counting their steps, staring at his shoes, when they turned a corner and Stacie stopped suddenly.

Donald looked at her, confused. She was staring down the hall, her eyes wide. "Oh crap," she said.

Donald followed her gaze, and his stomach dropped.

Bumper was standing outside Donald's door, and he was staring right at them.

**A/N: I'm sorry, I lied again. **** That was hardly fluffy at all. I'll try harder next time, I promise!  
But let me know what you think of this development? I'd love to hear your opinion in a review! ^^**


	8. His Best Friend

**His Best Friend**

"What is this?" Bumper asked slowly, looking back and forth between Stacie and Donald. Stacie cursed herself silently for letting Donald to convince her to leave the safety of his dorm room. She should have known that they would end up getting caught. Now Bumper, the loudest, most annoying person she had ever met knew her secret.

Stacie and Donald glanced at each other, but neither of them knew what to say. Stacie had wrenched her hand from Donald's a few seconds after seeing Bumper down the hall, and had crossed her arms over her chest. She was afraid to look at Bumper now, and was gazing at the ground. For a brief second, she considered begging Bumper not to say anything, but she bit her lip to keep from blurting anything that would make the situation worse.

Bumper's next question was, "_This_ is who you've been hooking up with?" He looked astonished.

"Uh," was Donald's genius response.

Stacie decided to help out. "Yes."

"Can we talk about this inside?" Donald asked, recovering his wits. He dug his key out of his pocket and unlocked his door. Stacie ducked quickly into his room, her face red. Bumper followed her in slowly, still looking confused and surprised. Donald went in last, closing the door behind him.

Stacie felt oddly formal, sitting on a chair in the corner of the room. She had her hands clasped in her lap, and was looking at the ceiling. She didn't want to look at Bumper, and she wasn't sure she wanted to look at Donald either. She didn't even want to be there. She was tempted to get up and run away as quickly as she could. Suddenly, she was terrified of Bumper and what he could do to possibly ruin her life.

"So, what… What exactly is this?" Bumper asked, putting his hands on either side of his head like he couldn't possibly comprehend the idea of Donald and Stacie together.

"Please don't tell anyone," Stacie pleaded, the words exploding from her mouth before she could stop them.

"Tell anyone _what_?" Bumper asked, beginning to look frustrated.

Donald glanced at Stacie again. She met his gaze, trying to imagine what was going on in his head. She couldn't fathom what he was thinking, so she finally let out a sigh and said, "Just tell him."

"Wait," Bumper said, holding up his hand. "Are you two _dating_?"

"Yeah, we are," Donald said, turning away from Stacie to make eye contact with Bumper. Stacie was a little impressed. Even though Donald and Bumper were friends, Stacie didn't think she'd be able to look any of the Bellas in the eye if she had to admit she'd been lying to them and sneaking around behind their backs. But then, the Trebles didn't have any rules about dating like the Bellas did.

"Why didn't you just tell me that?" Bumper asked. "And here I thought you were just getting really lucky with some fan girls."

"Fan girls?" Stacie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We, unlike you, have groupies," Bumper explained. "In case you haven't noticed, we're pretty popular with the females."

Stacie rolled her eyes. "Trust me, I noticed."

"I couldn't tell you, Bumper," Donald said. "If anyone finds out, Stacie's going to get kicked out of the Bellas."

Bumper snorted. "Sounds more like a reward, if you ask me."

"Bumper."

It was Bumper's turn to roll his eyes. "Do what you want, man. I won't say anything if it's that big of a deal."

"It is," Stacie said, glaring.

Bumper shrugged. "The more of you there are, the more fun it is to beat you."

"Whatever," Stacie said, standing up. "I'm gonna go. I'll see you tomorrow," she added, turning to Donald.

"I just came to borrow this," Bumper said, holding up a CD case. "So I'm out, too."

"Good night," Stacie said, crossing the room to where Donald was still standing by the door. She kissed him quickly and left before he could say something to convince her to stay. She needed to go back to her room and think for a while. Stacie started down the hallway, and was halfway down the stairs when Bumper caught up with her. "What?" she asked.

"I'm walking you back to your dorm," Bumper announced.

Stacie halted, her fingers frozen on the hand rail. "I don't need you to walk me to my dorm," she told him.

"Just let me be nice," Bumper answered. "It's not really safe to wander around campus in the middle of the night."

"It's not even midnight."

"It's dark out," Bumper said.

"Fine," Stacie said, throwing her free hand up in exasperation. "Just do me a favor and be quiet, okay?"

"Sure," Bumper agreed.

To Stacie's surprise, Bumper actually did what she asked. She glanced at him a couple of times as they walked, but he wasn't looking in her direction. He had his arms clasped behind his back and stayed silent until they were halfway to Stacie's dorm and she couldn't stand it anymore. "Why are you keeping my secret?"

"I think it would upset Donald if I ruined your relationship," Bumper answered.

"How would getting kicked out of the Bellas ruin our relationship?" Stacie asked.

"Trust me, it would."

"But you don't want to tell Aubrey? You don't want to, like, pit us against each other and ruin our chances to win the semi-finals?"

"I already told you, I don't need to get you kicked out to beat you," Bumper smirked. "Besides, having blackmail can come in handy."

"Ah, there's the jerk I knew you were," Stacie said, speeding up. The sooner she got away from Bumper, the better.

Just when she thought the night couldn't get any worse, someone called her name. "Stacie?"

Stacie wheeled around, cursing under her breath. Amy was standing a few feet away, her eyes wide with surprise. "What are you doing with Bumper?"

"I ran into her a few minutes ago," Bumper explained, "And since I've been here longer than either of you, I know that a girl shouldn't go walking around campus in the dark by herself. She's been trying to get me to go away, but since I am a gentleman, I am escorting her safely to her dorm."

Stacie and Amy stared at each other, and then at Bumper. "You're not a gentleman," Amy said. "I don't think I've ever met anyone _less_ gentlemanly."

"I'm the epitome of gentlemanliness," Bumper retorted.

"I don't know what world you're living in, but it's obviously not this one. Bumper Allen is definitely not a gentleman," Amy snorted.

"I think I can make it to my dorm from here," Stacie interjected. "It's right there."

Bumper and Amy ignored her. They continued to argue, and Stacie chose to sneak away while they were distracted. She walked the last fifty yards to her dorm by herself, the sounds of Bumper and Amy's argument only dying out when the door to the building swung shut behind her.

When Stacie finally collapsed on her bed, she was exhausted, as if she hadn't slept in weeks. The only problem was, her brain refused to shut up. Despite what Bumper had said, she was terrified that he was going to go straight to Aubrey and ruin everything. She liked her life the way it was. She liked being a part of the Bellas, and she liked being with Donald. Bumper could destroy that in a second.

She wasn't sure how long she laid in bed thinking, but Stacie finally fell asleep. She wasn't sure how long she slept, either, but it felt like she had just closed her eyes when there was a sharp rap on her door. Stacie stumbled out of bed and over to the door, fumbling with the lock. She finally managed to get it open and was momentarily blinded by the light in the hall.

Her whole body seemed to tingle as Donald wrapped his arms around her. He was warm, like he had been standing in front of a fire. Stacie hadn't even realized that she was cold until Donald was holding her. "I missed you," he murmured, his breath tickling her ear. He kissed her softly, twisting her hair in his hands at the small of her back. She pulled away with difficulty so she could shut the door and lock it, barely managing to do so before Donald tugged her back in.

* * *

Stacie still couldn't sleep. She was warm and comfortable, snuggled under her blankets with Donald's arms around her, but nerves were eating at her stomach. "How do you know Bumper isn't going to say anything?" she asked.

Donald was still awake, too. "It's fine, Stacie. He's going to keep it a secret."

"But how do you know?" Stacie pressed.

"He's my best friend. He'll keep it to himself. I promise." He kissed her gently on the cheek. "Now go to sleep, Stacie."

**A/N: I actually kind of like Bumper, so I tried to show what I believe is the good side he probably has. I also tried and failed to make this fluffy yet again. Despite this, I hope you liked it. Honestly, the next chapter will be fluffier. I hope.  
Anywho… Leave me a review? **


	9. Her Plans

**Her Plans**

It was a good thing Donald was the one driving to the semi-finals. If he was in the back of the bus with the rest of the Trebles and Bellas, he was fairly certain he wouldn't be able to stop staring at Stacie. It didn't help that they had made out ten minutes before he was supposed to go get burritos with Bumper. Or that she had teased him by trailing her fingers over his belt. Worst of all, she had finished by nibbling his ear, kissing him swiftly, and dashing away to meet the Bellas with her hair streaming behind her in the wind.

Bumper had kept his promise. He hadn't said anything to the other Trebles or to the Bellas, but he made loud hints about Stacie that no one understood. It was kind of annoying, but at least he was keeping the secret.

One of the Bellas, a quiet girl named Lilly, sat on the floor beside him. Donald could practically feel the jealousy radiating from Stacie, and he wished he could see her face. He imagined she was staring daggers at them. He grinned while he drove, glad he didn't have to make up excuses for his facial expression.

The Bellas were the first ones off the bus when they arrived. Donald watched them go, his eyes focused on Stacie's back. She didn't even glance in his direction as she passed him, but Aubrey glared at him as she herded her group off the bus and into the school. He assumed it was just because Aubrey hated all the Trebles, but he couldn't help wondering if it was because she knew.

Considering the fact that they were already on thin ice with Bumper knowing, they probably shouldn't have met in the school's basement. Stacie stayed for five minutes, running her fingers through his hair as she pressed her lips eagerly to his. All too soon, her phone beeped and she pulled away from him. "I have to go, or I'm going to miss our performance."

"Good luck," Donald told her.

Stacie grimaced. "Thanks."

Stacie climbed the stairs quickly, leaving Donald alone for a few minutes before he decided it would be safe to go upstairs as well. He joined the Trebles in the private room they had been given, where they waited for their turn on the stage. Bumper had decided that they weren't going to watch the Bellas perform. If they didn't _have_ to "torture" themselves, as he put it, why should they?

Their own performance went well, despite Jesse's obvious lack of enthusiasm. Donald couldn't really blame him, after the way Beca had yelled at him, but Bumper did. They won, satisfying Bumper and keeping him from saying anything else that might have made Jesse feel bad. At least he didn't have to deal with riding back to campus on the same bus as Beca. None of them were sure where she had gone, but she hadn't reappeared by the end of the night so they assumed she had found another ride.

The Bellas, who had come in third, were quiet during the return ride. They all looked extremely disappointed, because it meant that they would not be going to the finals at Lincoln Center. The look on Aubrey's face, however, was too difficult to explain. The closest thing Donald could think of was that she looked like she wanted to cry and break something at the same time. Stacie and a few of the other girls seemed to be taking their loss a little better, probably because they had been expecting it.

Even Bumper was nice enough not to rub their win in the Bellas' faces, until they were getting off the bus. Amy, who seemed to have been trying to do what Aubrey should have done and was too distraught to do, approached Bumper reluctantly. "Thanks for the ride," she said with difficulty.

"And thank _you_ for giving us an easy win," Bumper responded, smiling in what he thought was an innocent manner.

"Bumper," Donald warned. A couple of the girls looked like they were on the verge of tears by that point.

For once, Amy didn't have anything to say to Bumper. She turned away from him without a word and followed the rest of the Bellas away from the bus. Donald wasn't the only one who seemed to think that Bumper had gone too far. A few of the other Trebles were giving him disbelieving looks. Bumper was usually pretty cool, but it was time like this when Donald had trouble remembering why they were friends.

"Good performance, guys," Bumper said, clapping one of the Trebles on the back. "I'm gonna turn in now. You all have the day off tomorrow, and we'll start rehearsal again on Sunday."

The Trebles exchanged looks as Bumper left them and headed to his dorm, where Donald doubted he would actually be going to sleep. "I'm out of here, too," Donald announced after a moment, locking up the bus and heading back to his own dorm. He wasn't too surprised when he opened the door and saw that his room was empty. He changed and lay down on his bed, picking up the book he was supposed to be reading for his English class.

Being an English major meant that Donald could actually admit to other people when he enjoyed the books they read in class. Donald didn't mind leaning back against his pillow and cracking open _The Grapes of Wrath_, but he would probably never admit it to Bumper or the other Trebles. He had realized a long time ago that he was a considerably different person in class and outside of class, but he figured a lot of people were. He was serious about his major, but he wanted to have fun as well.

A few hours later, towards midnight, there was a quiet knock on his door. Donald marked the page in his book and got up to open the door. When Stacie entered the room, Donald noticed that her eyes were red. Her face was sad, but she attempted to smile when she turned to look at him. "Are you okay?" he asked cautiously.

Stacie was quiet for almost a full minute. "No," she admitted at last. "I didn't think it would be this big a deal, but I really wanted to win."

"Everyone wants to win," Donald said. "It's normal."

Stacie let out a shaky sigh. "Yeah, I guess."

"Come here," Donald said, holding his arms out. "You look tired. Let's go to bed."

Stacie seemed almost incapable of moving, so Donald went over to her and pulled in her into his arms. She buried her face in his chest, wrapping her own arms around his middle. She didn't cry, but she was quiet for a long time. Donald stood still, holding her and stroking her hair until she was ready to let go. She kissed him, her lips soft against his, and then changed into her pajamas in a slightly dazed manner. Donald tucked her into bed, and then crawled in beside her.

"Thank you," Stacie whispered after he turned out the light. She scooted closer to him, putting her hands on his wrists and pulling his arms around her again.

"For what?"

"For… Everything. For being amazing," Stacie murmured.

Donald couldn't help laughing. "Well I am pretty awesome," he agreed.

"You are," Stacie said, kissing him. It was different from how they were usually, soft and slow. It seemed as though something had changed, in a good way. After only a few minutes, though, Stacie pulled back.

"You should sleep," Donald said.

"I will," Stacie answered, sounding exhausted. "Will you sing to me?"

"What do you want me to sing?"

"Anything," Stacie sighed sleepily, using his chest as a pillow.

Donald began to sing the only lullaby he knew, softly, but Stacie was already asleep.

* * *

He was awake first the next morning, and was surprised when he realized that it was only 7:30. Since he had time, he decided to surprise Stacie with breakfast. Being careful not to wake her, he got out of bed and got dressed. He went down and got into his car, driving to a nearby bagel shop. He bought a couple of bagels, a smoothie for Stacie, a coffee for himself and took them back to his dorm. Stacie, as he had expected, was still asleep.

Donald kicked off his shoes and sat down on the edge of his bed. He leaned over and kissed Stacie, on her forehead, on her lips, and finally on her throat. She smiled in her sleep, before blinking her eyes open and reaching up to grab Donald. She pulled him down towards her, kissing him with more force than the night before. When she finally released him, he grinned. "Someone's in a good mood this morning."

"Yeah," Stacie answered, stretching out across the bed.

"I brought you breakfast," Donald said, pointing to where he had put the bag of bagels and the drinks on the table.

"Ooh," Stacie said, sitting up. "Bagels?"

"And a smoothie," Donald said, leaning over to grab her smoothie. He handed it to her, and then got up to put cream cheese on her bagel for her.

"No one has ever brought me breakfast in bed before," Stacie said, looking pleased.

"Well that obviously gives me 'best boyfriend ever' status," Donald replied, handing over her bagel and grabbing his own.

"It might," Stacie said, taking a sip of her smoothie. "Keep this up and it's all yours."

They talked about little, unimportant things while they ate. When Stacie had swallowed her last bite of bagel, she leaned back and looked at Donald. "So what are you doing for spring break?"

"I'm going home for a while," Donald said. "And then I'll just hang around here until classes start again. What are your plans?"

"I was thinking about going home," Stacie admitted, "But I don't know if I would be able to leave if I went back. I kind of miss it. A lot."

"So you're going to spend a week here by yourself?"

"I'm not the only one staying on campus," Stacie said. "I won't be alone."

Donald probably shouldn't have said it. He was feeling so many different things, and part of him wanted Stacie to know. That part dominated the part that wanted to keep it a secret, because he was unable to keep himself from blurting out his next thought. "Come with me. To Savannah."

"To meet your family?" Stacie asked, sounding alarmed. Her eyes were wide with surprise and anxiety.

"Not if you don't want to," Donald said quickly. "I don't stay with them when I go visit anymore. They've already turned my old room into a library, so I stay in a hotel. You don't have to see any of my family."

Stacie appeared to be thinking it over, which was a good sign in Donald's opinion. At least she hadn't just turned him down immediately. It seemed crazy to invite her home with him, since they had only been seeing each other for a couple of months. They had only _known_ each other since February, but Donald didn't want to spend a week away from her. It seemed like such a long time to be without her. He watched her while she thought, trying to figure out what she would say.

After a while, Stacie looked up to meet his gaze. Her blue eyes were confused, but there was a sparkle of happiness in them too. They looked silently at one another, Stacie's eyes searching his while Donald wondered what she was thinking. After a few minutes, she seemed to have made a decision. "I'd love to come."

"Great," Donald said. "We leave on Friday."

**A/N: Okay, this was fluffier than before (I think) but still not what I had been planning on. Oh well. It never seems to work out the way I want, but I think this turned out okay.  
Thank you all SO much for the reviews you've been sending! I really appreciate them, they make me happy. So, keep them coming? I love hearing what you all think! And I do take your ideas into consideration, so please keep up with those as well. :3**

**Also, to explain my guessing at how much time passed between the Riff-Off and the semi-finals, in the movie Beca gives Luke the flashdrive that is labeled '2/17' so the Riff-Off was in February. Spring break is usually late March or in April, so I was guessing that it was about two months between the two.**


	10. His Family

**His Family**

Spending four hours in a car was not usually Stacie's idea of fun, but lately anything was fun as long as she was with Donald. They spent the ride playing their favorite music, arguing over which one of them had better taste and switching the cord that connected their iPods to the radio after each song. "Excuse me," Stacie said, snatching Donald's iPod away as a new song came on. "It's _my_ turn."

"Fine," Donald said, laughing. "Play more of your lame girly music."

"Hey, I don't criticize your music," Stacie said, flipping through the albums on her iPod.

Donald let out snort. "That's all you've been doing all afternoon," he reminded her.

Stacie ignored him and picked a song. The opening of 'On My Own' came softly through the speakers, Stacie singing along. "On my own, pretending he's beside me. All alone, I walk with him till morning…"

Donald was quiet, listening to the song while he drove. He was more sophisticated than Stacie with his criticism. He didn't say anything about it, until the song and Stacie reached the line, "And I know it's only in my mind, that I'm talking to myself and not to him."

"She sounds like a stalker," Donald announced.

"Èponine isn't a stalker!" Stacie said, letting her feet fall from the dashboard as she sat up in indignation. Les Misérables was one of her favorite musicals, and she could tell from Donald's comment that he had never seen it. "She just loves Marius, but he loves Cosette. It's hard to be rejected."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Donald said, "But she sounds like a stalker."

"I'm going to make you watch Les Mis as soon as it comes out on DVD."

"Lay miz?" Donald asked. "What's that, a disease?"

"It's short for Les Misérables," Stacie said, trying to be patient, "And it's the greatest musical of all time."

"Good luck with that," Donald told her, reaching over to grab her iPod. "And now it's my turn."

"Hey, eyes on the road," Stacie said, pushing his hand away. She picked his iPod up off her lap and plugged it in.

"Okay, okay," Donald said. "Just hit shuffle."

Stacie obeyed, tapping the selection that was labeled 'shuffle'. After a few seconds of silence, a song that Stacie actually recognized came through the car speakers. It was 'Hold Me Tight' by the Beatles. "So your taste in music _doesn't_ completely suck," Stacie said, putting his iPod down.

"No, but yours does," Donald teased, glancing at her for a second before turning his gaze back to the road. They were almost to Savannah, which was good because Stacie was starving. Then, as if he had read her mind, he asked her if she wanted to stop and get dinner.

"Sure," Stacie said, smiling. For once, they wouldn't have to worry about running into anyone they knew and blowing their secret. For the next week, they would be able to go out together whenever they wanted and not have to hide. Stacie was pretty sure it was going to be the best week of her life.

"Where do you want to eat?"

Stacie shrugged. "Wherever," she said. She didn't really care; she was in the mood for pretty much anything.

Donald got off the freeway and pulled into the parking lot of the first restaurant they found, which happened to be a Red Lobster. "Are you sure?" Stacie asked, surprised. "I'm fine with going to McDonald's or something." She didn't have a lot of money because she didn't have a job, and Donald had already informed her he was paying for the hotel room.

"Don't worry about it," Donald said, putting his hand on her leg and smiling at her. "I've got it covered."

"Are you _sure_?" she repeated.

"I'm positive," Donald assured her. "I can handle dinner."

* * *

Things went well until Tuesday morning. Stacie had successfully avoided meeting Donald's family, and he had promised not to mention her to them. He went to see them for a couple of hours each day, while Stacie watched one of the many movies she had brought with, but he always managed to get back before noon. "What do they think?" Stacie asked.

"I told them I've been meeting up with friends from high school," Donald said. "Which is true. Everyone is home from school now."

They had run into several of Donald's old friends during their outings, and usually ended up spending a few hours with said friends.

On Tuesday morning, Donald's family had their own plans and Stacie was looking forward to having him all to herself when his phone rang. He answered it and listened for a moment, before saying, "Mom, I have plans today too."

He was silent as his mother talked. "Yeah, I know, but-"

His mother cut him off.

"Okay," he said, talking over her. "You win. I'll do it. Bye."

"Do what?" Stacie asked as soon as he hung up. "What did she want?"

"My mom volunteered me for babysitting duty," Donald sighed. "She loves to do anything that will make her look good, and when the neighbors called and asked if she knew anyone, she told them I would do it."

"Oh," Stacie said, considering this. She'd never had siblings, but she had always been fond of small children. Babysitting actually sounded kind of fun, as long as she got to spend the day with Donald. "Well, let's go."

Donald looked surprised. "You actually want to go? I was going to be nice and tell you that you could stay here and watch movies."

"I actually like kids," Stacie informed him.

"Huh," Donald said, looking her up and down. "You don't look like a kid person."

"Looks can be deceiving," Stacie replied with a smile. "When do we need to go?"

Donald glanced at the clock on the nightstand. "Right now," he said.

* * *

Stacie started to get suspicious when Donald started pointing out places he had gone to during his childhood. He slowed a little as they passed a park he had gone to a lot when he was younger. It was a beautiful park, much nicer than the ones that Stacie had grown up with. The houses in the neighborhood were big. Stacie couldn't call them mansions, but they were large. It was obvious that this was a wealthy neighborhood, which led Stacie to believe that Donald hadn't told her everything about himself.

A few minutes after passing the park, Donald pulled up to the curb and stopped. "Here we are," he said. Stacie looked out the window at a large house painted a bright, cheerful yellow.

"You live next door?" Stacie asked, feeling a mixture of surprise and annoyance. She was surprised that he was secretly rich, and annoyed that he hadn't told her.

"Yeah, right there," Donald said, pointing to the blue house on the right.

"What do your parents _do_?" Stacie asked, trying not to let her jaw drop.

"My dad's a lawyer," Donald answered, "And my mom does interior design."

Stacie stared at him.

"What?" Donald looked concerned.

"When were you going to tell me that you were rich?" Stacie managed to say after a moment.

Donald's looked relieved for a minute, and then he shrugged. "I didn't think it was that big of a deal," he said honestly.

"Right," Stacie said, but she didn't press it. They got out of the car and went up to the door. The mother who answered was beautiful and was wearing a gorgeous dress. It was obvious that she and her husband were going out to some important meal. She smiled warmly and led them into what she called the playroom. She introduced them to a smiley little boy with curly black hair and bright green eyes. He gurgled happily when he saw them, and held his arms up for his mother.

"He's pretty friendly," his mother said, scooping him up. "He should be fine while we're gone, he doesn't usually cry a lot when we leave."

"Is there anything we need to know?" Stacie asked.

"He's already had lunch, so he should be okay until we get back. Just keep an eye on him and put him down for his nap around one o'clock," the mother said. "We need to get going now, or we're going to be late. Good luck!" With that, she passed the baby off to Stacie and disappeared.

"Have you done this before?" Donald asked.

"All the time in high school," Stacie said, adjusting the baby in her arms.

The next few hours passed quickly. The baby, whose name was Zack, was a breeze to babysit. He was happy and easily entertained, and didn't cry once during the whole time Stacie and Donald were there. Stacie's favorite part of the afternoon was watching Donald put Zack down for a nap. Seeing him hold the baby carefully, singing softly to put him to sleep made Stacie's stomach flip. For a moment, she could imagine herself married to Donald, that he was putting their child to sleep, but Stacie pushed the thought away. She was being silly.

When Zack had fallen asleep, Donald laid him down gently in his crib and grabbed the baby monitor. He smiled at Stacie and grabbed her hand. "Come on, let's enjoy ourselves while we can."

* * *

Stacie and Donald were getting ready to go out with a few of his old friends after dinner when Donald's phone buzzed. Stacie watched him curiously from the mirror while she was fixing her makeup. "It's my sister," he said, opening the text message. He read it and cursed.

"What's wrong?" Stacie asked, turning around.

"She's asking about you."

"_Me_?"

"Melissa, the lady we babysat for, asked my mom who you were. Now my mom wants to know."

Stacie bit her lip nervously. "Are you going to tell them?"

"I don't see what else I can tell her," Donald answered.

"Am I going to have to meet them after all?" Stacie's stomach immediately began to churn. She hadn't planned on this. She had never met a boy's family before because none of her boyfriends in high school had been serious enough to make it to that stage.

"You don't have to do anything," Donald said soothingly, looking worried at whatever facial expression she was wearing. She felt horrible for making him feel bad, but she was afraid. She'd never had to worry about others approving of her relationships before, but now she did and it made her nervous.

Stacie took a deep breath. "No, I'll do it," she said, trying to look calm. "It makes sense. If we're going to be together, your family should know about it."

"Are you sure?" Donald asked, putting his arm around her and hugging her to him.

"I'm positive," Stacie said firmly, sounding more confident than she felt. "Text your sister back and tell her."

"Okay," Donald replied, looking a little unconvinced. He held his phone up and typed out a reply to his sister. After a few minutes, she answered. "Looks like we're invited to dinner tomorrow night."

"I'll be ready," Stacie promised.

* * *

Somehow, Stacie managed not to panic during the next day. Donald told her more about his parents and his sisters, but it didn't make her feel better. All she could think of was that she wasn't looking forward to the meeting. The day seemed to slip away, until it was time for Stacie to put on the nicest dress she had brought with and put her hair up in a tight bun. She was applying lip gloss when Donald came up behind her and put his arms around her waist. He kissed her neck, his lips trailing up to her cheek. He pulled her face towards him so he could press his lips against hers.

"Quit it," she protested, but he could tell that she didn't mean it. She put her lip gloss on the counter and turned in his arms. She had barely put her arms around his neck when his phone went off. They pulled apart with a sigh, and Donald opened the text. "My sister wants to make sure we're still coming."

"I guess that's our cue to leave," Stacie said, grabbing her jacket off the bed.

Stacie was quiet on the ride over, focusing on her breathing so that she wouldn't start freaking out. When they pulled up outside of Donald's house, she was feeling calmer than when they had started over. "Ready?" Donald asked as they got out of the car.

"Ready," Stacie answered.

The evening passed in a blur. She met his sisters first. Priscilla, the oldest at nineteen, answered the door. She and the other two girls, Kate and Lydia – fifteen and twelve respectively – seemed friendly, and Stacie liked them. She met his father next, and he insisted that she call him by his first name, Dean. He seemed pleased to meet her as well, which made Stacie feel a lot better. The person that she was most afraid to meet, Donald's mother, was the last one to greet her. She was busy finishing dinner, giving Stacie some time to get a little more comfortable with Donald's family.

Donald's sisters are looked alike. Kate was a younger version of Priscilla, and Lydia was a younger version of them both. People would probably start to mistake Kate and Priscilla for twins when they got a little older. They all had jet black, waist-length hair and beautiful hazel eyes. They had perfect teeth and bright smiles, impeccable manners and amazing talents. They were the kind of people that Stacie's English teacher would call 'Mary Sues' if they were fictional characters.

Finally, she met Donald's mother. Her name was Helena and she was every bit as pretty as her daughters. Stacie found her intimidating, but she was friendly as well. In the back of her mind, Stacie wondered just how perfect Donald's family could really be. There _had_ to be something wrong with them.

All in all, the evening went so much better than Stacie had expected. She had thought that his mother, at the very least, would hate her. Maybe they would, if they ever really got to know her. But who knew if that was ever going to happen? At the end of the week, she might never see them again.

Around nine, Donald seemed to decide that she had suffered enough and rescued her from the endless questions that his family had been shooting at her. "We've got plans with Ted," he lied easily, naming one of his old high school friends.

"Dinner was really great," Stacie said to Helena, getting to her feet.

"Thank you," Helena said, smiling. "You'll have to come over again before you two leave on Friday."

"Sure," Stacie said, though she half hoped they wouldn't have to come back. As friendly as Donald's family was, they were extremely intimidating. Meeting them once as all Stacie could handle.

They left quickly, and Stacie felt as if she could finally breathe again. She slid into the seat of his car feeling utterly relieved to be out of there. Donald got in and took her hand. "You were great," he told her, trying to make her feel better. "They liked you."

"I hope so," she sighed, pulling her hair out of the bun. "Can we just go back to the hotel and go to bed?"

Donald grinned. "I'm up for that."

* * *

Stacie realized why she was so willing to go through the stress of meeting Donald's family. They were both awake, but they didn't talk as they lay in bed, looking at the ceiling. With her head on his chest, Stacie could feel the steady beat of Donald's heart. It was a comforting sound, and she had come to find that she couldn't fall asleep without it. She felt something stirring in her chest, something she felt every time she had looked at Donald over the past few days. She had been almost shocked when she had finally figured out what it was.

"Donald?" she asked after ten minutes of silence.

"Yeah?"

Stacie sat up, propping herself up on her elbow. "I know this is going to sound crazy," she began, starting to feel nervous, "But the past two and a half months have been… I guess amazing is the only word I can come up with."

"I agree," Donald murmured, leaning over to kiss her

"So I want you to know something."

"What's that?"

Stacie took a breath. "Donald, I love you."

It was impossible to see his reaction in the dark, but it took only a few seconds to know that it was a good reaction. He kissed her again, forcefully, pulling her on top of him. Stacie broke the kiss, laughing breathlessly. "I love you too, Stace," he whispered before pressing his lips against hers again, kissing her hungrily.

Stacie got the feeling that they were in for a long night.

**A/N: This was way longer than what I was planning, but I hope you all liked it. Please let me know what you all think! Your reviews mean a lot to me. I'll throw in those characters you've all been asking for in the next chapter. :3**


	11. Her Revelation

**A/N: You guys are amazing! I can't believe I have over 100 reviews for this story. I definitely didn't think it would be quite so popular, but I really appreciate all the support you guys have given me! Thanks so much. **

**Her Revelation**

Donald wasn't entirely sure how he had ended up hanging out with Bumper. He had been alone in his room, reading, when Bumper had called him. The biggest reason he had agreed to hanging out with Bumper was that he had been spending all of his time with Stacie. They had both been blowing off their friends lately, which was why Stacie had gone out with Beca and Amy. She had been thinking about telling the two of them about her and Donald. She believed they could keep it a secret, and Donald agreed that they had the right to know, but he wasn't sure if she would actually go through with it.

"Bumper, why are we here?" Donald sighed. Bumper had dragged him out to some freshman party that was already dying down as the freshman drank themselves into incoherency.

"Tonight, you're my wingman," Bumper announced, looking around. "We're going to find me the stupidest, drunkest girl here."

"So you want me to help you take advantage of a freshman girl?" Donald asked.

"Man, when did you get so lame?" Bumper sounded disgusted. "Dating Stacie has made you a wimp."

"Stacie has nothing to do with this," Donald answered.

"You didn't use to act like this," Bumper said, folding his arms across his chest and continuing to survey the room. He spotted a potential girl almost immediately, and nudged Donald toward her. "Go be a wingman."

Donald rolled his eyes, but headed over to the girl. She saw him coming, and eyed him appreciatively. He approached with caution, considering a drunken girl to be as unpredictable as a wild animal. "Hey," he said. "I'm Donald."

"Hi Donald," the girl slurred, attempting to smile seductively. "I'm Haley."

"Hi Haley," Donald answered. "Have you met Bumper?" He turned and pointed to where Bumper was standing, holding a cup of beer.

Haley looked more than a little confused, but she smiled and waved at him. Bumper smiled back and came over to them, taking the time to throw Donald a dirty look before engaging the girl in conversation. Donald considered his job done, and backed into a corner with his own cup of beer. The sooner this night was over, the better.

Apparently Haley wasn't exactly what Bumper was looking for, because he soon moved on to another girl. This time, however, he didn't ask Donald to be his wingman. Donald didn't blame him after the lame job he did, but Donald was bored. This wasn't his idea of fun. He was at a party full of girls he couldn't and didn't want to hit on, but that was all Bumper cared about.

A few hours later, Donald had managed to get a few of the other Trebles out to the party. It didn't make the party a whole lot better, but at least Donald had some guys to play cards with while Bumper was otherwise indisposed. Eventually, the other Trebles had been picked off by pretty girls and Donald was alone again.

Sometime after midnight, Donald's phone beeped and Stacie finally answered his text message. She promised to head over to the party and provide some relief from Bumper-watching. She showed up with Amy and Beca in tow about twenty minutes later, and she headed straight for where Donald was sitting in an armchair. "Did you tell them?" he asked in a low voice, nodding towards Beca and Amy. He figured she had, or she wouldn't have brought them with to the party and right up to him.

"They know," Stacie confirmed, throwing herself into his arms. He kissed her gladly, but didn't carry it on for too long. He didn't think Amy and Beca wanted to spend their evening watching Donald and Stacie make out.

"And this has been going on for how long?" Beca asked, sitting on the couch across from them as the two of them broke apart. Stacie wrapped her arms around Donald's neck and settled herself more comfortably in his lap.

"Almost three months," Stacie said, sounding a little guilty.

"And you've managed to keep it a secret for this long?" Beca looked impressed.

"Well, Bumper knows," Donald corrected.

"Bumper knew before we did?" Amy demanded.

"Not on purpose," Stacie assured her. "He saw us together."

"How long has _he_ known?" Amy asked, sounding a little offended.

Donald and Stacie glanced at each other. "A month, maybe?" Stacie offered.

"Stacie," Amy began, sniffing loudly, "I thought we were friends."

"Amy," Beca laughed. "She told us, didn't she?"

"Yeah, after _Bumper_ knew," Amy said, holding a hand to her chest like she was wounded. Donald could tell she was exaggerating, but he got the feeling that she was extremely unhappy about Bumper having known about their secret before she did.

"I'm sorry, Amy," Stacie said, sounding it. "I wasn't sure how you would feel about it. I was afraid to tell you guys."

"Don't worry," Amy said, dropping her act. "We won't tell Aubrey. Or Chloe."

"Or anyone else," Beca added.

"Thanks guys," Stacie smiled. "Do you wanna go get some beer?"

"Sure," Beca said, getting to her feet. Amy followed suit, and Stacie slid off Donald's lap.

"We'll be right back," Stacie promised, leaning over to kiss Donald quickly before she followed Beca and Amy off to the kitchen.

They had only been gone a few minutes when Bumper reappeared. "This party sucks," Bumper said. "I can't find the right stupid drunk girl."

"What a shame," Donald said unsympathetically.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Bumper asked, falling into the seat that Beca had recently vacated.

"Actually, Stacie-"

Bumper groaned and rolled his eyes. "Really, Stacie again?"

"Yeah, she brought Amy and Beca with her."

"So more of the Bellas are invading," Bumper said, taking a long drink from his cup of beer.

"Dude, how many beers have you had?"

Bumper shrugged. "A few."

"I think it might be time to leave," Donald said, getting up.

"Man, I'm twenty-two. I can do whatever I want."

"Fine," Donald said, shrugging. A few seconds later, Stacie and the others returned with cups in their hands.

"Hey," Stacie greeted, slipping her arm around Donald's waist. "Okay, this party is stupid. So why don't we go back to your room?" She stood on tiptoe to whisper in his ear.

"I was just thinking the same thing," Donald answered. He raised his voice and said, "Stacie and I are going to leave now."

Bumper groaned again.

"Dude, I've been here for like four hours," Donald said. "You wanted me to hang out with you, and you spent all night hitting on girls. So now I'm leaving."

"Fine," Bumper said, throwing his hands up. "Leave."

"Thank you," Stacie said, smiling sweetly at Bumper. He ignored her.

As they were leaving, Stacie halted on the porch. "Wait," she said. "I want to see something."

"What?" Donald asked.

"Ten bucks says Amy leaves with Bumper tonight."

Donald snorted. "I'm not betting against you," he said. "I think it'll happen too."

"Let's hide, then," Stacie said eagerly, pulling him off the porch and into the nearest set of bushes. They lay awkwardly on the cold dirt, waiting to see if Bumper and Amy would come out of the party together. A few minutes after they had arranged themselves in the bushes, Beca left the party. Amy wasn't with her, which made Donald think that Stacie was going to be right.

"I hope we're not out here all night," Stacie said, pushing her hair out of her face.

"It shouldn't be long," Donald answered. "They think the three of us are gone. If they're going to do something, they'll do something soon."

Donald was right. It was just over five minutes later when Bumper came outside. Amy followed just a little ways behind him. They were both looking around furtively, but they didn't see Stacie or Donald. They seemed to think the coast was clear after another minute, because Amy caught up with Bumper. They walked side by side, talking too quietly for Stacie or Donald to hear what they were saying. Their body language was enough, though.

"They're totally going to hook up," Stacie grinned.

"I wonder who'll confess first," Donald added.

"Bumper," Stacie said confidently. "He won't be able to resist bragging."

"Probably," Donald agreed. He got to his feet and helped Stacie up. "Maybe we should follow their example."

"I like the sound of that."

* * *

Donald wasn't sure he would ever get used to how amazing Stacie was. She was definitely the greatest girl he had ever been with. They had gone back to his dorm and fallen into bed, Stacie's lips like fire against his skin. Now they were ready to sleep, but Stacie hadn't said anything yet. It had become almost a ritual for Stacie to talk about what was on her mind before they went to sleep.

"What are you thinking about?" Donald asked finally, wondering why she was so quiet.

"That I'm really glad we're going to the finals," Stacie answered.

"I'm glad you are, too," Donald said honestly.

"We're going to kick your butts," Stacie said. Donald could tell that she was grinning, even if he couldn't see her.

"Finally, some competition," Donald teased. "Anything else?"

"Just that… I love you."

"I love you too," Donald whispered in her ear. Saying it sent a kind of thrill through him. He hadn't told a single girl that since he was a junior in high school. It had been five years since a girl had caught his interest like this. The more time he spent with Stacie, the less he could stand to be away from her. Maybe there was more to this relationship than either of them had originally thought. He didn't know what was going to happen to them, but he did know that he was in love with Stacie and he didn't see an end in sight.

**A/N: For once, I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. I hope you like it, though. Let me know with a review? I really love to hear what you all think! I'll try to update again soon, but I've been getting a lot of homework lately. Hopefully sometime this weekend. Thanks again for reading!**


	12. His Defeat

**His Defeat**

They were taking a risk, lying in the grass together. Anyone could see them there, but hardly anyone walked past this place. It was a far, secluded corner of campus where there were old classrooms that hadn't been used since some of the new buildings had been built. It was a pretty garden-like area, with trees surrounding the square plot of land and flowers growing everywhere. Donald was the one who had found it, and had known about it since his sophomore year. He told Stacie that he went there once in a while, when he needed it think. It had been his idea to spread a blanket out in the grass and spend some time together outside of his room when the sun was actually still out.

Stacie was telling Donald stories of when she was on her school's volleyball team. "We were playing outside, and when we won one of the other girls kicked sand in my face," she said, recalling one of the games she had played in her sophomore year.

"What happened to her?" Donald asked, doing his best not to sound amused.

"I have no idea," Stacie answered. "It was after the game, so I doubt she even got in trouble for it."

"That seems a little unfair."

"Yeah, but it's over now," Stacie replied. "Okay, it's your turn."

"Alright," Donald said, squeezing her hand while he thought. "Okay, when I was fourteen I got dared to jump out of a tree."

"And you did it?" Stacie asked, shocked. She sat up to look at him, and noticed that he had a satisfied smirk on his face. It was the same look he always wore when Stacie acted worried about him.

"Of course I did," he said, pulling her back down to lay beside him. "I was a teenage boy, we do stupid things."

"Apparently," Stacie said. "Who jumps out of a tree?"

"If it makes you feel any better, I broke my leg," Donald added.

"Well that's what you get for jumping out of a tree," Stacie responded, lacking sympathy.

"Blame my cousins," Donald said. "I couldn't back down."

"How big is your family?" Stacie demanded.

"I only have ten cousins," Donald said, like it was no big deal.

"How does that work?"

"My dad's sister has two kids, my mom's brother has four, and her sister also has four."

"So there are thirteen of you," Stacie finished. "Wow, family get-togethers must have been crazy."

"They were fun," Donald corrected. "Eight boys gave us enough to play a good game of football."

"Okay, I have three cousins and I haven't seen any of them since I was in middle school," Stacie said. "How often did you guys see each other?"

"A few times a month. We all lived within an hour of each other, so I always had someone to hang out with."

"That part sounds nice," Stacie admitted. "Are any of them coming to the finals tonight?"

"Actually, Priscilla is coming," Donald said. "She's the only one that's never seen us perform before, because she's always so busy with school. I think it's mostly because she's here and figured she might as well, but it's better than nothing."

"Why is she here?"

"She met some guy," Donald answered. "He was running an errand for his boss in Savannah, but he lives here. I'm not really clear on the details, that's all she would tell me."

"Oh. I wonder how that happened," Stacie mused. "Do your parents know about it?"

Donald snorted. "I doubt it. As far as I know, she's never been allowed to date."

"But you are?"

"It's different for me," Donald said in a superior tone. "I'm the guy."

"Pfft."

"It's your turn," Donald said after a minute.

"Oh, right," Stacie said. She thought for a few minutes, trying to think of a good story about her childhood to tell him. "Well, unless you want to hear about the time that I got the stomach flu and threw up a rocket pop, I'm out of stories."

"That's okay," Donald told her. "I'd rather kiss you."

He pulled Stacie on top of him, kissing her eagerly. His tongue slid into her mouth and his hands slipped under her shirt and up her back. Her skin felt like it had exploded in flames where he touched her, but she rolled back onto her side of the blanket after only a few minutes. It was difficult, but she was too worried about being caught to get into it.

"No one's here," he whispered, his voice husky. The warmth of his breath tickled her ear, and she wanted nothing more than to kiss him again, but she resisted.

"Not now," she answered. "Unless you want to go back to your room, which I'm all for."

"That's actually not a bad idea," Donald said.

"Great," Stacie said, getting up. "You pick this up, and I'll meet you back in your room."

She left Donald to get the blanket, and headed back to Donald's dorm on her own, where she would lay casually on his bed and wait for him.

* * *

The Bellas were sitting together in a row, behind the Trebles. They were waiting to find out who had won this year's ICCAs, and Stacie believed the Bellas had an extremely good chance. The judges were still deliberating, so the Bellas and the Trebles were talking amongst themselves. Since Bumper was gone, Aubrey was a lot friendlier towards the Trebles. Despite the fact that Beca had kissed Jesse in front of all of them and Aubrey hadn't kicked her out (probably because she couldn't do that anymore, considering Beca and Amy were the ones taking over the Bellas next year), Stacie and Donald were still keeping their relationship a secret.

Stacie figured she would tell Aubrey and the others about Donald in a few days. She was beginning to think that she owed it to them to tell the truth. She didn't want to tell them until after they figured out who had won, because she didn't want them to realize she was a liar and have lost the ICCAs at the same time. Just as she was thinking this, Donald turned around and caught her eye. It was a brief moment of eye contact, but it sent a shiver up her spine.

"Alright, the points have been tallied up and we have our winners!" the MC boomed into the microphone. Donald turned around, and everyone else focused their attention on the guy on stage. He started with fifth place, and worked his way up. "In second place… The Treblemakers!"

A cheer rose through the auditorium, and the Bellas looked at each other excitedly. This meant that they had won, though none of them dared to say it until it was announced. There was a pause as the Trebles sent Jesse up to get their silver trophy, and the announcer didn't say anything until Jesse was seated again. "And finally, in first place… The Barden Bellas!"

All ten girls leapt out of their seats, screaming with excitement. Instead of sending one person to get their trophy, they all ran up onto the stage. Aubrey claimed the trophy for them, holding it up in the air triumphantly. Stacie could see from her spot on the edge of the stage that the Trebles were clapping for them, Jesse and Donald the most enthusiastically.

When it was all over, Aubrey and Chloe announced that the Bellas were going out to celebrate at their favorite diner, down the street from Barden. Beca invited Jesse and the other Trebles to go with them, and Aubrey was generous enough to go along with it.

Somehow, Donald and Stacie ended up sitting beside each other at the table. They had been trying to sit apart, but fate (or Beca and Amy) had forced them together. Stacie had her suspicions, because Beca and Amy kept shooting her teasing looks and exaggerated winks. No one but Stacie seemed to notice them, and they gave up after everyone had ordered. The waiter seemed overwhelmed by the noise and amount of people in one group. It took almost an hour to get everyone's food out on the table and in the proper place.

While they were eating, Donald kept bumping his knee against Stacie's. Even after three months, the simple touch of his knee against hers sent a shock through her body. When he took a chance and laid his hand briefly on her thigh, it was difficult for her not to stand up and drag him back to campus with her. The desire didn't die away when his hand left her thigh, so she was desperate for the celebration to end. Unfortunately, it lasted until almost midnight. The waiter had to come over and kick them out.

"Good job, ladies," Aubrey said, her voice giddy as they left the diner. "I'll see you all later. Have a good weekend!"

Stacie rode back to campus with Beca, Amy, Lilly, and Cynthia Rose. The Trebles had taken their bus to the finals, but the girls had taken two cars. Amy, who was driving, dropped Stacie off close to Donald's dorm instead of her own. Lilly and Cynthia Rose didn't seem to notice, but it wouldn't have mattered if they had. They were going to find out soon, anyways.

Stacie was so happy, she skipped up the stairs to Donald's room. She threw the door open without knocking and was surprised to see a banner that read 'Congratulations' hanging across his wall. He stood waiting for her in the center of the room, a chocolate cupcake with a burning candle in his hand. "What's this?" she asked.

"This was just in case," Donald said, smiling at her.

"It's sweet," Stacie said, her own face breaking into a smile. She crossed over to him, blew the candle out, and took the cupcake from him. She put the pastry on his desk, and turned back around to kiss him. She immediately reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head, tossing it to the floor. She could feel the warmth of his chest through her own shirt, and her skin flushed at his touch.

"Aren't you going to eat your cupcake?" he asked, laughing as he kissed her.

"Later," she said, a little breathless. "Right now, I just want you."

"I love you," Donald murmured as they leaned their foreheads together. "You were amazing today."

"And I'm about to get a little more amazing," Stacie said, putting their conversation on hold by touching her lips lightly to his and pushing him the direction of the bed. Donald didn't put up a fight, but fell onto the bed and pulled Stacie down with him.

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update, I was pretty busy this weekend. And I was having some problems with this chapter/one-shot, whatever it is. I hope you liked it, though. Leave me a review? ^^  
Also, I wasn't sure if anyone would be confused, but the title is referring to the fact that the Bellas finally beat the Trebles.**


	13. Her Chemistry

**A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long to update. I had a lot of stuff going on at school this week, and I had a lot of trouble finishing this. I finally ran into writer's block, and it wasn't fun. I hope you like this chapter, though!**

**Her Chemistry**

Bumper came back to school during the last week of April, but Donald didn't see him until several days after that. He was still annoyed that Bumper had ditched them, and so were the other Trebles. As far as he knew, none of them had talked to Bumper since he got back. Donald got the feeling that they were waiting for him to break the ice first, to see if Donald would forgive Bumper. Donald knew he would, but he wasn't quite ready to do so when he ran into Bumper for the first time.

"Hey man," Bumper said, looking happy. "Where have you been?"

"I've been busy," Donald answered, walking past Bumper. He was on his way to the library to get some studying done, some of the last studying he would ever do. He and Bumper had finals in a few weeks, and would be graduating soon afterwards. Donald was looking forward to leaving school and starting his job in the editing world. If everything went according to plan, someday he would be the editor-in-chief of a newspaper or magazine, whenever he ended up working.

"With Stacie?" Bumper asked, winking and nudging Donald as he fell into step beside him. Donald had forgotten just how annoying Bumper could be, even when he wasn't already irritated.

"No," Donald said shortly. He and Stacie, and everyone else for that matter, were so busy studying for their finals that they hadn't been seeing much of each other since the night of finals. While Stacie's finals were important, Donald had to pass his in order to graduate in May. If he didn't, he would be stuck taking summer classes. Stacie's graduation wasn't on the line quite yet like Donald's was. "We've all been busy studying."

"Oh right," Bumper said. "Finals are soon."

"Are you planning on studying at all?" Donald asked incredulously.

"Eh," Bumper said. "Maybe later."

Donald was tempted to ask Bumper what exactly he was planning on doing with his life, but he held onto his comment. "I really need to study, Bumper. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"You're not even going to ask me how LA was?" Bumper demanded.

"Later," Donald snapped, leaving Bumper alone on the sidewalk as he entered the library and sat down to study. He spent a few hours there, preparing for his first exam which would take place on May 1st. It was just over a week away, and Donald was beginning to feel stressed. He had never been a very good test taker, and big exams like this tended to freak him out.

Around dinner time, Donald decided to give up and go get something to eat. A quick text conversation with Stacie told him that she was eating dinner in the dining hall with some of her friends. He was contemplating whether or not to join them when his phone buzzed again, and Stacie informed him that Aubrey wasn't with them. She had been nice to the Trebles after the Bellas had won the finals, but when Stacie told the girls about Donald, Aubrey had gone right back to hating the lot of them. The rest of the Bellas had taken the news rather well, according to Stacie. They were all still nice to him, at least. Aubrey was a special case.

Stacie had told him that several of the girls had been unsurprised. "I kept thinking you two would make a cute couple," Chloe had said. "Now I know why."

By the time Donald got to the dining hall, the girls were almost done eating. Instead of leaving, like Donald expected them to, Stacie's friends stayed around tried to include Donald in their conversation. He felt bad about it afterwards, but he mostly ignored their attempts to talk to him. He was still too annoyed with Bumper, and just wasn't in the mood to get to know Stacie's friends. He knew he would have to find a way to make it up to her later, especially since she had always been so willing to deal with Bumper.

"Are you okay?" Stacie asked quietly.

"Fine," Donald answered, though his tone said he was anything but. He got to his feet and picked up his now empty food tray. "I need to get back to studying."

"Good luck," Stacie said, looking concerned. The others gave him a mixture of goodbyes, some confused and others as if they were glad he was leaving. He couldn't say he blamed them; he wouldn't want to hang around with someone as moody as he was, either. He gave them a half-hearted wave and left.

Donald decided to try working off his mood at the school's gym. His first choice of exercise was always to swim. There was something about that water that always helped him relax. He felt lucky when he walked into the pool room and saw that no one else was there. Everyone was too busy eating and studying, like he should have been doing. Instead, he stepped up to the edge of the pool and dived in. He swam the length of the pool three times before he started to feel less tense. It was as if the water was soaking up all his frustrations, leaving him feeling calmer than he had felt all week.

A few laps later, Donald even felt willing to forgive Bumper for ditching them. He considered, for a moment, what he would have done if he were in Bumper's situation. He would have been tempted to go, definitely, but would he have abandoned his friends when they needed him most? Somehow, he didn't think so. But this was Bumper. There was no logic when it came to Bumper. Everything was always about what would be best for Bumper, and not for anyone else. It was one of his worst qualities.

Eventually, Donald climbed out of the pool and grabbed his towel. In the locker room, he tossed his wet swim trunks to the floor and turned on one of the shower heads. Steaming hot water rushed over him, helping him keep the calm he had found in the pool. When the last remains of chlorine and pool water had been washed away, Donald turned off the shower, toweled himself dry, and got dressed. There was something about a shower that just made everything feel a little better.

When he got back to his room, he sat down on his bed with his textbooks, preparing to do some more studying before he went to sleep. He had barely cracked open the first book when there was a knock on his door. He assumed it was Stacie, checking on him, a fact he appreciated. To his surprise, though, it wasn't Stacie standing in his doorway. It was Bumper.

"Hey, Donald," Bumper said cautiously.

"Hi Bumper," Donald replied, leaning against the doorframe. He crossed his arms across his chest, wondering why Bumper was there. He still didn't want to listen to Bumper brag about LA.

"You're mad that I went to LA, aren't you?" Bumper asked.

"Yeah," Donald said. "I am. And so are the rest of the Trebles."

"Well," Bumper began slowly, apparently thinking. "I'm sorry."

Donald closed his eyes for a moment, letting the words sink in. As far as he could recall, this was the first time he had ever heard Bumper apologize for anything. When he opened his eyes, he could see that Bumper looked hopeful. He wanted to get past this as much as everyone else did. "It's cool," he said.

"Thanks man," Bumper said, looking relieved. "I'd ask you to hang out, but-"

"I have to study," Donald finished for him. "Yeah. Tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure," Bumper agreed. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some pickup lines to try out."

Donald rolled his eyes and watched Bumper disappear down the hallway. Same old Bumper, he thought. Some things never changed.

* * *

No matter what Donald was doing, it seemed as though his thoughts always circled back to Stacie. Her floral perfume, her various fruit-flavored lip glosses, her silky hair, and her bright blue eyes would always be stuck somewhere in his head. When she was actually with him, it was a good thing. When she wasn't around, like when he was trying to study for his finals, it was more of a problem than anything. Instead of looking at practice questions, he leaned against his pillows and wondered if Stacie would come over that night. It had been almost a week since they had spent the night together, because they both wanted to pass their finals.

Sometimes, Donald wondered if Stacie might be psychic, or if they were so in sync that they just happened to be thinking the same thing at the same time. Either way, when there was a light tap on his door, he knew who it would be. Stacie looked gorgeous, even dressed in sweats with her hair falling out of its ponytail. She looked a little different than normal, and it took Donald a few seconds to realize that she wasn't wearing any makeup. This hardly mattered, because Stacie was beautiful even without it.

"Guess what I just saw?" Stacie asked, slipping past Donald.

He closed the door and turned to face her. "What?"

"Bumper and Amy," Stacie said grinning. "Again."

This was the second time that week that Stacie had spotted her friend with Bumper. She and Donald were beginning to wonder if there was something else going on with them, like there had been with the two of them. Donald was prone to assume that there wasn't, because Bumper definitely wasn't the boyfriend type. It seemed to him that Amy wasn't really the girlfriend type either, but he had originally thought the same thing about Stacie, too.

"They're spending a lot of time together," Donald mused.

"Almost as much as we do," Stacie said. "So you're still going to help me study, right?" she added, changing the subject. She slipped her book bag off her shoulder and crouched down to rummage through it.

"Yeah, sure," Donald answered. "What do you need help with?"

"Chemistry," Stacie said, making a face. "I didn't get it in high school, and I don't get it now."

Donald took her Chemistry book and sat down on his bed. Stacie curled up beside him, momentarily making it difficult for Donald to focus. He cracked the book open and started flipping through the pages. "What don't you understand?"

"All of it," Stacie answered with a sigh.

Donald laughed. "And your final is when?"

"Tomorrow," Stacie said cheerfully.

"You know, I don't think there's a point in even trying to study," Donald said. "You're not going to learn anything in the next twelve hours."

Stacie's smile softened, and she leaned over to kiss his neck. "I was hoping you would say that," she whispered. She took her Chemistry book from him and tossed it to the floor. It landed with a muffled thump, but neither of them were paying it any attention. They were too busy making their own version of chemistry.

**A/N: So I felt the need to end with a cheesy line. You're welcome. **

**Again, I am SO sorry it took me so long to update this. Hopefully it wasn't too boring, I really wasn't sure about it. Leave me a review, let me know what you think?**

**And sorry for the weird/lame title. I had no other ideas for it.**


	14. His Graduation

**A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who read the last chapter and to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate it! Sorry again it was such a long wait, it gave me a lot of problems and I've had SO much homework. I hope you all like this chapter. (:**

**Also, I stumbled upon a Tumblr post (two, actually) about my fic, and I am beyond flattered. ** **I'm glad you like it enough to blog about it**.

**His Graduation**

Stacie didn't want to go to Donald's graduation. It wasn't because she thought it was going to be boring (it was) or because she didn't care that he was graduating (she did), but because she wasn't sure if she could handle it. The fact of the matter was, Donald was leaving. Graduation meant that a person was done with school and would be moving on with their life, but Stacie wasn't at that point yet. Donald would be moving on without her, and she definitely didn't like that idea. The whole thing made her sad beyond belief, but she hadn't said anything about it to Donald. She was afraid of what he would say to her. Would he suggest that they end it? Stacie didn't think she could bear that at the moment.

She had taken to avoiding him over the past week, claiming to be busy with other things. To fill her time, she starting spending more time with her friends. It didn't take long for the girls to notice that something was wrong. Beca was the first to approach her about it, pulling her aside the Monday before Donald's graduation. "Is something wrong?" she asked, concerned for Stacie's mental health. If she had been feeling better, Stacie would have been flattered that Beca cared so much.

Normally, Stacie kept her problems to herself. She preferred to carry the weight of her problems on her own shoulders, though she often poured her heart out to Donald before she knew what she was doing. This time, she blurted out her fears before she could stop herself. Beca listened patiently while Stacie spilled her guts. "I don't want him to leave," she admitted.

"Have you talked to him?" Beca asked, always logical.

"No," Stacie said. "I'm afraid of what he'll say."

"You need to talk to him," Beca said. "Right now. This is important. Do you really want this to fall apart because you're afraid of the unknown?"

Stacie sighed and pulled her hair off her neck, rolling it up and holding it against the top of her hair. "Can I wait until tomorrow?" she asked.

"No," Beca said, her face serious. "Go."

Stacie sighed again and let her hair fall. "Okay," she said, getting off Beca's bed. She dropped the pillow she had been holding on her lap and headed for the door. She paused when she reached it, her hand resting on the door handle. "Are you sure I can't wait until tomorrow?"

"Go!" Beca said firmly.

"Okay!" Stacie said, holding her hands up. "I'm going."

* * *

Donald looked surprised when he opened the door. "Hey," he said. "I wasn't expecting you tonight. I thought you had a sleepover."

"I did," Stacie said, "But it got canceled."

"Lucky me," Donald joked, taking her hand and pulling her into the room. Out of habit, she kicked the door shut as she entered, but she was so full of nerves that she wanted nothing more than to turn and leave as quickly as she could. In her mind, she was about to get dumped, and she wasn't ready for it. Donald tried to put his arms around her, but she pulled away. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

Stacie nodded, but she didn't say anything. She didn't know _what_ to say.

"Stacie?"

"Are we going to break up?" she blurted. It annoyed her how she couldn't help blurting out the first thing that came to mind lately, but there was no way for her to take back what she had just said. She didn't want to look at him, but she couldn't stand not knowing. She raised her head to look at him, and saw a mixture of surprise and confusion on his face.

Donald seemed to be struggling for words. "Why would we break up?" he asked, clearly trying to understand what was going through Stacie's mind.

"You're graduating," Stacie said, trying to stay calm.

"What does that have to do with us?" Donald asked, more confused than ever.

"You're leaving," Stacie said, her voice wavering slightly. She was on the verge of tears, but it wasn't just because she scared that her relationship was going to end. It was also because she was too frustrated for words that she was acting like such a wimp. "You're not going to live here anymore," she added, motioning to his room.

Stacie watched as Donald's expression changed. The look he wore now was almost amused. "Stacie," he said in a soothing tone, stepping forward to take her hands in his. "Didn't I tell you? I'm not going anywhere."

It was Stacie's turn to be confused. "But you're graduating," she repeated, her unshed tears vanishing as hope rose in her chest.

"I'm staying in Atlanta," Donald explained, smiling slightly.

"Really?" Stacie asked, hardly daring to believe it. "Wait, you're not staying because of me, are you?"

"No," Donald answered, shaking his head. "I decided to stay here last year. I liked it here, a lot more than I ever liked Savannah."

"Oh," Stacie said, feeling relieved. As Donald's words sunk in, Stacie's emotions did a one-eighty. The corners of her mouth slowly turned up in a smile, and she threw her arms around Donald. "I love you, more than anything."

"I love you too," Donald said, his arms tightening around her. Stacie buried her face in his neck, only to pull back in shock as he spoke again. "Forever."

Lately, Stacie had been feeling the same way. More than anything, she wanted to have a future with Donald, but she hadn't said the words out loud. In all honesty, she had felt silly. She and Donald had only been dating for a few months, and she was only nineteen (her birthday had been in January). She was too young to be getting so attached to a boy, wasn't she? But hearing Donald say what she had been thinking made her wonder if she had just been overthinking her feelings. This was natural, right? Plenty of people wanted serious relationships. The only problem was, serious relationships had never been her thing.

Despite her misgivings about whether or not this was the right thing to do (it _felt_ right), Stacie took her seat at the back of the audience and watched silently as Donald, Bumper, Aubrey, and Chloe graduated. She was going to miss all of them next year, even Bumper. Maybe not quite as much as she would miss everyone else, but she had come to like him over the past several weeks. Still feeling conflicted, Stacie didn't jump to her feet and join the screaming crowd when the graduation was over. Instead, she got slowly and carefully to her feet and exited the gym. She would see Donald later. Right now, he was busy celebrating with his family.

Donald, however, had other plans. He showed up at her dorm a few minutes after she had returned, knocking loudly on her door. "Stacie!" he called.

Confused, Stacie got up from where she had collapsed face-first on her bed and opened the door. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I'm here to drag you out of your room," he said, grinning. "You're coming to dinner with us."

"Us?"

"You know, my family. You didn't think you were going to get out of it, did you?"

"Oh, no," Stacie said, "Of course not."

"Well, come on," he said. "Let's go."

Donald held out his hand, and she didn't hesitate to take it.

* * *

Dinner was amazing. Donald's family, which included most of his extended family this time, had been nothing but nice to her. It seemed like they really liked her, and Stacie really liked them. They were nothing like her small family, and she loved the way they behaved with one another. They were always laughing and joking, and clearly loved one another a lot.

When dinner was over, Donald hugged family members and said goodbyes for the night. Then, for the first time in over a week, he and Stacie returned to his dorm to spend one last night together. The next day, Donald would be moving his stuff to an apartment about twenty minutes from campus, and Stacie would be going home to Tallahassee for the summer. Everything in Donald's room was packed up, except for his bed. It was still neatly made, with mint green sheets and a blue comforter spread across it. Everything Stacie had been leaving in his room was in its own box, with her name scribbled across the top in Sharpie.

Rummaging through one of the boxes marked 'clothes', Stacie pulled out one of his neatly folded t-shirts and changed into it. She slid into bed and snuggled up under the comforter. Donald, after changing, followed suit. For a while, they lay silently with their arms around each other, Stacie's face buried against his neck. Her cheek rested against the warm cotton of his shirt, and she felt more relaxed than she had all week. She was going to miss this over the summer.

"Stacie?" Donald asked softly after about an hour.

"Hmm?" she answered sleepily.

"Look," he said, talking quickly now, "I don't know what's going to happen in the next few months or years, but the one thing that I know is that I want you to be part of my future."

Sitting up carefully, Stacie looked at him in the dim light of his bedside lamp, now sitting on the floor in the corner. "That's what I want too," she admitted, looking down at the comforter.

"I'm so in love with you," Donald continued. "I don't know what I would do without you."

"Neither do I," Stacie replied, still surprised that she could feel this way about a person. It was so different from any other relationship she had ever had before.

"So let's talk?"

"About what?" Stacie asked.

"You and me."

**A/N: THE END!**

**I know, it's short. I'm really sorry. :C After all that waiting, this is a short final chapter. I hope you like it, though! I'm really sorry it took so long, and I'm sorry it's over. It was fun to write. But don't worry, I'm planning on doing some more one-shots (maybe not until summer, though). Please leave a review and let me know what you think! I love you all, thanks so much for sticking with my story.**


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